


Season 1/2

by PhoenixSmoke



Series: NCIS: A series of alternate events [1]
Category: NCIS
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:35:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 36,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25104025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixSmoke/pseuds/PhoenixSmoke
Summary: Original dialogue (That I borrowed- I don't own) blended with new characters.Set starting with season 1 of NCIS- Episode: EnigmaA member of Gibbs' past returns... and obviously messes with the canon just a bit.
Relationships: Jethro Gibbs/Original Female Character(s)
Series: NCIS: A series of alternate events [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1818184
Comments: 12
Kudos: 27





	1. Enigma pt.1

**Author's Note:**

> As always, original dialogue does not in any way belong to me. I just weave new characters of my own creation into the mix!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, original dialogue does not in any way belong to me. I just weave new characters of my own creation into the mix!

"I'll introduce you to the team leader in charge of Colonel Ryan's case. " Director Morrow said professionally as they made their way down the metal staircase from his office. "Special agent Gibbs is one of our very best, you'll be in good hands working with his team." 

Samantha stopped abruptly in the middle of the hallway, "Gibbs?" She asked, unaware of the man several feet behind her standing at attention at the mention of his name. His eyes met the director's over her head. "Jethro Gibbs?"

The heads of two other agents glanced up at the tone of her voice, and glanced at each other across the aisle before looking up at their boss. 

The director nodded his head, gesturing to the man behind her. "Yes, of course." She turned around and her eyes met a familiar set of blue ones. The man took in her full appearance, fresh Army greens in a slightly different pattern than he was used to, an organized head of long brown hair tied into a bun at the base of her neck and the blue hat tucked under her arm. 

"Agent Gibbs, this is Lieutenant-Colonel Samantha Buckley, Canadian Armed Forces. She has a rather personal connection to your case which may help you in your search for Colonel Ryan."

Jethro's eyes widened slightly as the information clicked in his brain, the confusion faded and recognition took its place. "Sam?" He asked suddenly. Both agents watched with fascination at their exchange as the director simply smiled and walked away. Their gaze flickered between the two of them as the woman smiled warmly, "It's been a long time, Gunny." She replied. 

Gibbs smiled at that and ran a rough hand through his hair, "Not so much a Gunny any more" he said laughing slightly. Samantha took a few steps towards him, "Once a marine, always a marine." She smiled as she leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. She walked right past him to his desk where she placed the canvas backpack she was carrying behind his chair. "Tell me what you have." She said, with her back to the two agents sitting with their mouths gaped open. 

Gibbs turned around at the two of them, when they didn't respond to his look, he sighed and clipped, "Sit-rep". They immediately stood at attention grasping at the loose papers in front of them. He turned back to the woman, "How much have you been briefed?"

She turned to face the plasma screen as the female agent clicked a picture of Colonel Ryan to the screen. "Your director got me up to speed. Marines were following up on Hussein's missing millions when they were ambushed in Iraq. Ryan and the cash are now missing in action, and no one has managed to make contact with either." She added, crossing her arms in front of her. 

Gibbs nodded and gestured to the young agent, "Kate."

"The FBI sent us this footage of Ryan arriving at Dulles airport recently, he came back into the country under an assumed name." 

Samantha tilted her head as the watched the footage. "Who is he talking to?" she mumbled, before turning abruptly to the woman. "My apologies, Samantha Buckley." She said holding out her hand. 

The woman took it with a smile, "Caitlin Todd." Samantha nodded and reached out her hand again to the male agent. "Special Agent Anthony Dinozzo." He said politely before pointing to the screen. "Our intel from the FBI believes he may have staged the ambush and taken the money for himself."

Gibbs shook his head slightly as Samantha did the same. "No. I mean aside from the fact that he wouldn't, why come back?"

"He has to have a damn good reason." Gibbs added. 

"How can you be sure?" Tony asked gently. 

Gibbs kept his eyes locked on the man's image on the screen. "We know." 

"Director's orders either way, we have to bring him in." Kate said. "The FBI just placed him on their Most Wanted list."

***

When the agents sat back down at their desks and busied themselves in paperwork again Gibbs took a swig of his coffee cup before tossing it into the trash can. He looked over at Samantha and beckoned her with a finger to follow him. He led them to the elevator and waited for the doors to close before flipping the stop switch. The box jolted to a halt and the lights dimmed. 

"Seriously?" Samantha asked as he turned to her. "What are you doing here, Sam?"

"Same thing you are." She replied tilting her chin up to look at him properly. 

"After, what- well over a decade-" He was interrupted as Samantha held a hand between them sharply. "Look-I didn't know it was going to be you, if that's what you mean. But I would have came anyway."

"Sam."

"He was my dad's best friend." she snapped before looking down at her feet for a second to collect herself. "You and I both lost so much then, Jethro-" She said emotion hiding deep in her eyes. "I am not here to bring up any bad memories for you. I am just trying to do my part for a man that deserves my help. The colonel would rather die than betray his country, Gunny, you know that better than anyone."

Gibbs smirked, "You wouldn't be here if you didn't agree with me." He said before taking a step back, "But for the record- I'm glad you are."

Samantha looked at his soft smile with confusion. "Don't make assumptions, Lieutenant-Colonel. You know better than that. We don't waste good. Besides- " He said casually as he flicked the switch back on and the elevator hummed to life again before descending. "It's always nice to see an old friend."

"Who the hell are you calling old?"

***

Gibbs entered the forensics lab with Samantha following close behind. A dark-haired woman was sitting at the computer with agent Dinozzo when they arrived. 

"Hey Gibbs!" She said cheerfully, standing up. When she spotted Samantha she smiled and held out her hand. "Abby Scuitto, ma'am."

"Oh!" Samantha laughed surprised, "Samantha Buckley." She smiled handing Abby the bright red Cap-Pow that was in her hand. "And don't call me ma'am- I'm not 'Gibbs' old."

Abby smiled a Cheshire cat grin aimed towards Gibbs. "I like her!"

Gibbs rolled his eyes at the two women while Tony watched, amused. "What do ya got, Abs?"

She stepped towards the monitor and clicked a few keys on the keyboard, "This is from the airport surveillance video. It looks like Colonel Ryan is talking to someone, but I can't figure out who."

Samantha nodded, "I thought so as well."

Gibbs leaned over her shoulder, "Pull all the airport tapes that match our time frame."

"I'm on it." Abby nodded, taking a sip of the bright red liquid in front of her. 

"Tony-" Gibbs said, turning to the man. "Ugh, yeah boss. What's left of Colonel Ryan's Hummer was shipped back to camp Lejeune last week- I can have it brought here tomorrow."

"Any personal effects?" Samantha asked. 

"I'll get on that, too."

"That's good work, Abs." Gibbs said as he headed for the door. "L.C. You're with me." 

Samantha rolled her eyes and turned back to Abby, "Nice to meet you." She winked before heading off after him. 

After they left, Abby turned to Tony. "I just realized something."

"Gibbs never gives me any compliments?" He asked bitterly. 

"Maybe- it's not that you're dating younger woman, but they they're dating an older man."


	2. Enigma pt.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, original dialogue does not in any way belong to me. I just weave new characters of my own creation into the mix!

Tony walked up to Gibbs' desk as Kate was reading documents. "What's SERE school?" She asked him. "Survival, evasion, resistance and escape. Why?" 

"Ryan served as an instructor there for three years." Kate explained as she watched him pick up the package on his boss' desk and shake it violently. "What do you think is in here?" 

Probably some part for his boat." She said dismissively as she continued reading. 

"No- I don't think so, postage is from overseas.... Hey speaking of overseas- what do you think of the Lieutenant pretty? There's some history there, huh?" 

"It's Lieutenant-Colonel pretty, Dinozzo." Gibbs said menacingly from his spot directly behind the man. Samantha smiled as the young agent winced visibly and whirled around to face them. "But I prefer Sam, myself." She added. 

Gibbs snatched the package from the man's hand and slapped a hand to the back of his head. "Yup and that was for-"

"For demoting her." Gibbs replied as he sat down at his desk. 

Samantha smiled, "That part really isn't a big deal." 

"You're in uniform." Gibbs pointed out. 

"But I'm not in my country." 

Jethro scoffed and waved a hand at her. "You're an American."

"Canadian-American" She corrected. 

Tony was still standing in the middle of the bullpen, "Uh, the Colonel's personal effects are on their way from Iraq , they'll be here in 48 hours."

"Anything interesting in his jacket, Kate." Gibbs asked, still eyeing Dinozzo. 

"Iraq hasn't caught up with his records yet, but judging from his background- he won't be easy to find."

"Unless you know the man- I have a pretty good idea of where to look."

"Where?" Kate asked. 

"Why don't you check the sedan out of the motor pool. I'll tell you on the way."

They watched as the agents grabbed their weapons and bags before heading towards the elevator. When gibbs was sure they were out of visual he pulled a pair of rubber gloves from his desk drawer and positioned the light at his desk. He snapped his knife from it's place on his belt and sliced through the tape on the box. He pulled a flask from the bubble wrappings and glanced at Samantha's curious face. 

He brought it towards the light so they could read the inscription, and the note on the back. Millions being smuggled out of Iraq. Used to fund covert operations outside military and government oversight. I'll contact when I know more. Jethro flipped it over, To Lieutenant Colonel W.D. Ryan "Semper Fi", Gunnery Sergeant L.J. Gibbs 1991

Samantha took a step back, "Yeah, talk about bad memories." She sighed, "Let's go to the cabin, Gunny". 

***

The four of them exited the sedan and looked around at the small log cabin that was hidden amongst the trees. Samantha closed her eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet smell of pine as Tony and Kate stepped up beside her. "This isn't exactly my idea of a vacation." Kate mumbled, shielding her eyes from the sun. 

Gibbs smiled and looked back at her, "You should see it in the summer time." He winked before heading towards the front door. As Samantha followed close behind she heard Kate whisper to Tony, "Do all Marines build boats?" "Just the one's that have been married a few times."

"Why's that?" 

She could hear the smirk in Tony's voice as he replied, "The other ones can afford to buy them."

As they approached the door, Gibbs' pace slowed and he held a hand out to stop them. Samantha looked on and saw the shotgun blasts clean through the wood plank. Jethro pulled his weapon from his holster and laid his back flat against the wall. 

Kate and Tony mirrored his actions as Samantha stepped back and out of the way. Her hand reached for her own holster and felt only the warm fabric against her thigh. Mentally chastising herself for not requesting a weapon transfer form before blindly getting on a plane. 

She watched as Jethro nodded to his team before inching his foot forward and kicking the door wide open. They waited a beat before entering and they systematically cleared the rooms. From her position outside the house she could see more bullet holes covering the brown walls and the furniture thrown around inside. 

"Clear."

"We've got a body in here."

Samantha immediately crossed through the door and following the voices to a back bedroom where a man was tied to a chair, kill shot in the middle of his forehead. Tony leaned down to examine the wound. "The blood's not fully clotted, this is recent. Three, maybe four hours."

Samantha leaned against the door frame just behind Gibbs when Kate pointed to the space behind the door, "Looks like your Colonel was interrogating this guy." She turned her head to catch a glimpse of an empty tripod facing the victim in his chair. 

"He must not have like what he said." Tony sighed. 

"Colonel Ryan didn't do this." Gibbs said sternly as he pulled out a pair of rubber gloves before handing another to Samantha. 

Kate looked over at him questioningly, "How can you tell?".

"Someone stormed this place, he sure as hell didn't do it himself." Samantha said, looking back into the main part of the cabin. 

Catching Kate's doubtful look, Gibbs added, "He wouldn't shoot the lock off his own door.".

"You gut any idea who, Boss?" Tony asked softly. 

Gibbs pulled out his cell phone and dialed a few digits, "Not yet.".

Samantha donned the rubber gloves and looked over at the other two. "I'll give you guys a hand."

Tony looked over at her as he pulled on his own pair. "You worked a crime scene before, Sam?" 

She smiled grimly as she looked around at the blood on the walls. "My fair share, unfortunately."

They quietly worked their way around the room until Gibbs called loudly for Tony. The man walked into the living space towards Jethro, who was kneeling down near a pile of glass. "What do you make of this?" He asked the younger agent.

He glanced down at the blood trail at his feet. "Ooh. So you think it's Ryan that's wounded?" He asked. "I mean it makes sense if he was in the bedroom when his company arrived," He said, standing. "They shoot the lock, Ryan pops out of the bedroom, runs, takes a hit, keeps on running out the back door." 

"It still doesn't explain the body in here. Either he was already here, of your shooter stopped to tie him to the chair."  
Kate interrupted as she and Samantha entered the room. 

Their was a pause. "Do you guys hear that?" Samantha asked suddenly. Kate looked at her, "Hear what?"

"Sounds like... Like a beeper." Gibbs said, slowly navigating his way around to glass towards the noise back in the bedroom. 

"Could be the guy's watch." Tony offered. Kate turned to him, "No, I checked his wrist Tony- he wasn't wearing one." 

Gibbs walked back into the room with Samantha and the rest of the team behind him. He followed the sound to the bed and kneeled down beside it. When the beeping grew louder he lowered himself the rest of the way down to the floor and pulled the bedding back to see under the bed. 

"Bomb." He said simply, jumping back up to his feet. Samantha turned quickly and shoved Kate in front of her towards the door. "Get out." 

The four of them went running at high speed out the door and towards the car, Tony screaming behind Kate the whole way. Tony grabbed Samantha's arm and pulled her behind the vehicle with him and Kate as Jethro collided with the hood of the car mid-jump and slid to the gravel next to her. They all covered their heads and got as low as they could to the ground waiting for a blast... that didn't happen. 

They waited several minutes without moving, just waiting... when nothing happened Gibbs was the first to release from his position, pulling himself off the hard ground and into a proper sitting position. Samantha followed his lead and crossed her legs in front of her, making herself comfortable. She looked over at him, "You okay?" She murmured, pointing to a scrape on his wrist from the fall. 

He looked down at his arm and pulled the sleeve of his jacket further up to examine it. "Should be good." He said, brushing the blood away with the fabric of his shirt. "Hand me that piece of wood." He said, pointing at a chunk of tree bark on her other side. She handed it to him wordlessly as he flipped the knife out of his side and began chipping away. 

She smiled and leaned her head back against the car door, closing her eyes while Kate pulled out her palm pilot and began typing away. 

***

"Are you sure it was a bomb Gibbs?" Tony asked, looking over the top of the vehicle towards the cabin. 

"Yes, Dinozzo. For the last time, yes. It was a bomb." He said irritably as he continued to work at a new piece of branch. 

"If you say so. EOD sure took their sweet time getting here." Tony said as a vehicle approached. 

Ducky jumped out the side door. "Sorry we're late, Gerald got us lost. Several times." 

"Me?" His assistant said sarcastically, "You had the map."

"We have our own problems here, Ducky." Gibbs said without looking up from his work. 

"Yes, I can see that. The FBI take over our crime scene again?" 

"Gibbs thought he saw a bomb." Kate explained, still typing away. 

"What do you mean, thought?" 

She rolled her eyes, "Do I really have to say it?"

"Say what?" Gibbs asked, his tone getting annoyed."

"Oh god." Samantha murmured from her spot between them. 

"Yes, Kate. Say what?" Ducky repeated with a smirk.

"You need glasses, Gibbs." She said after a moment. "Are you happy?" 

Gibbs stared at her with hard eyes, he opened his mouth to respond when a hot blast erupted from the cabin and wood flew around them violently. They all ducked again to cover themselves from the blast. 

Gibbs pushed a piece of wood off of himself and raised his head to look at Kate. "I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch that last part."

Samantha wiped the dust from her face and chuckled next to them.

***

They were back in autopsy, a little dirtier, but all in one piece. Ducky unzipped the black body bag and he and Gibbs peered inside to inspect the remains. 

"Well, I must say he seems to have a remarkably fine set of teeth." He said casually. 

"Yeah for an extra from Pirates of the Caribbean." Tony smirked from Kate's side at the other end of the table. 

"I heard that was very good." Ducky added.

"What?" Gibbs asked, "The movie."

"You know, Johney Depp?" Kate supplied, only to earn a cold stare from him. 

"Wow. Tony's right, you really need to get out more, Gibbs."

"Duck," Jethro said as he stood up, "This guy is my only link to Colonel Ryan, I need to know who he is."

"I'm afraid it's going to take some time."

"How much?" Samantha asked from her seat at the next autopsy table. 

"Well, fingerprints are out of the question. It will be , of course a simple matter to match him to his dental records, assuming you were able to locate it?" 

"Nope."

"Was there any reason to assume he was associated with the armed forces or a federal agency?"

"No." 

"Well then we can run his DNA, I should be able to get a sample for analysis even from this. You know- I do remember one case-" 

"Ducky."

"Uh... Ten days, perhaps eleven?" 

"No." Gibbs said shaking his head, "No, that's not good enough."

"Well, I don't suppose any of you managed to take his photograph? Before you ran screaming from the place?" The doctor asked.

They all turned to Dinozzo. "Hey. That was not screaming- that was yelling... loudly." He defended. 

Gibbs turned to agent Todd, "Kate, can you sketch him?" He asked, pointing to the remains on the table.

"I can try but I didn't get a really good look at his face."

"Tony can help you with the recall. No one says anything about this case unless it's with me." He said before nodding at her to follow. 

"Thanks, Ducky." Samantha said, jumping down off the table edge. She placed a quick kiss on his cheek before following Gibbs out the door and into the elevator. 

"You know- I could give them a hand with the ident, too." She said turning to him once the doors closed. 

"Nope." He responded, keeping his head forward. "I need you with me."

***

They stepped off the elevator as his phone rang, "Yeah, Gibbs." he said, holding it to his ear as they entered the bullpen. He stopped his movements immediately and backtracked towards the staircase. "Sir... What the hell is going on?". He locked eyes with Samantha and jerked his head to follow him. 

"You get my package?" Colonel Ryan asked on the other end. 

"Yes, sir. I was also at your cabin." Gibbs replied leaning his back against the wall as Samantha leaned in close to hear the conversation. 

"Look, Gunny I don't have a lot of time, they could be tracing this call. I need to meet with you."

"Considering you just made the FBI's most wanted list, I agree. You need to get to NCIs as fast as possible, sir."

"Negative. That's the first place they'll try to reacquire me." Samantha looked up with a confused expression and met his eyes. 

"Who?" 

"That's kind of what I'm trying to figure out, Gunny."

"You gotta trust me, we can protect you, sir."

"They already tried to kill me twice- I don't intend on giving them another chance."

"Where then?" 

"The bar where you bought that flask."

"When?"

"2100 hours."

"I'll be there."

"Make sure you're not followed. I don't know how high this thing goes but trust no one, Gunny."

Gibbs snapped his phone shut and let out a heavy sigh. They looked at each other for a long moment before he walked back to his desk with her behind him. 

"Why didn't you have your gun?" He asked her as he pulled his own from his desk. 

"My assignment doesn't start for another three months, I wasn't authorized to carry in the states yet." She explained crossing her arms in front of her, watching as he loaded the weapon. 

"Well then you'll carry mine." He said handing it to her. She nodded and clipped the holster to her leg strap. 

"We're going now?" 

"I'm going now. You're my backup." Gibbs said as they headed towards the elevator again. 

When they stepped in, he leaned over to press the button. "How's your shot?" He asked, not bothering to face her. 

"That's insulting." She mocked as the doors closed. 

***


	3. Enigma pt.3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, original dialogue does not in any way belong to me. I just weave new characters of my own creation into the mix!

Gibbs slowed the car to a stop near a public park. Samantha looked over at him. "Here?" 

He shook his head, "No. Those two FBI spooks are following us. I'm gonna walk from here, lose them on foot." He said nodding towards a black unmarked car that had parked opposite them. He took out a scrap of paper and handed it to her. "Here's the address. Park around back and wait for me."

She nodded, taking the paper from him. "You sure you don't want your gun?" 

"No. If he sees it, he may think there's something up. I don't want him to rabbit." 

"Alright. See you soon."

He climbed out of the driver's side door and headed out to the populated area. Sure enough, both of the agents in the black car stepped out and followed close by without a second glance at her. She unbuckled her seatbelt and slid over the central console into the driver's seat. Settling back in, she slowly pulled the vehicle out of its spot and drove off into the night. 

***

"Well?" Samantha asked as he slipped back into the passenger side. 

"I don't know what the hell is going on... he's wounded."

"Bad?"

"Not bad enough, apparently."

"Typical." 

"He said he saw irregularities in the books, when he tried to report it, the reports went missing. Shipments were cancelled or redirected. He said the capture was supposed to be a decoy to reveal the mole."

"Does he know who?" 

"Pick an agency- your guess is as good as his."

"What about the body?"

"Doesn't know that either, says the guy was following him. 

"Didn't you try to talk him into coming in?"

"Well yeah, Sam, right up until the point where he pulled his gun on me." He said tiredly, rubbing a hand over his face. 

She groaned and leaned her head back against the seat rest. "What the hell is he doing?" she mumbled. 

"He's working with someone."

She sighed, "I'm assuming he didn't tell you who, or that would have been the first thing out of your mouth."

Gibbs reached into his pocket and pulled out the busted video tape. "He gave me this though."

Samantha looked down at it. "You think Abby can do something with it?"

"Yeah, I do."

***

"We have a bit of an enigma here, Gibbs." Abby said as they stared at the airport footage on the screen in front of them. 

"I spent all day scanning the tapes from the airport looking for Colonel Ryan. And I mean all day. And guess what?"

"He wasn't on any." Gibbs supplied.

"Uh... Yeah."

He shrugged, "Lucky guess."

"Would you like to guess what I found out from the original tapes the FBI sent us?"

"It was from more than two days ago." Samantha said rubbing the back of her neck. 

Abby, turned back to look at her, puzzled. "Right. But can you tell me when they were from?" She asked pointing at her. 

"A week and a half ago." Gibbs said from the other side of the room. 

Abby's head whipped back around to him, then back to Samantha. "Did I mention that I've spent all day doing this?" She asked Gibbs. 

"You wanna tell us how you know all this, Boss?" Tony asked from his place on a chair. 

"The FBI lied to us. They've been using us to find Ryan this whole time." He leaned against the desk and let out a heavy sigh. "Go home." 

***

Samantha checked her watch before picking her bag up from behind Gibbs' desk again. 02:45. Lovely. She pulled out her cell and started searching though the contacts when Jethro walked in. "Why are you still here?"

"Just about to call for a cab." She said as she hit send and placed the phone to her ear. 

He walked up to her and took the phone from her hand, flipping it closed. "I'll give you a ride." He said handing it back to her and reaching for his coat. 

"Thank you." Samantha said, popping it back into her pocket. She followed him into the elevator and out the front doors. She shivered against he wind. "Damn I forgot how chilly it gets here." She said quietly. 

He scoffed, "What Canadian doesn't bring a jacket?" 

She smiled and pulled open the side door when they reached his truck. "I'm too tired for that right now."

Gibbs let out a sharp laugh, "Yeah okay."

Samantha sat in comfortable silence until her head fell against the seat belt and she fell asleep. Jetlag, and non-stop work had immediately taken a tole on her, not to mention the explosion. Gibbs stopped at a red light and looked over at her, fast asleep and peaceful. He smiled. Part of his mind could still flash back to when they were both much younger. She looked almost exactly the same. There were a few more lines around her eyes and a wedding band around her third finger he noticed, but still so much the same. 

Eventually he pulled up in front of his house and turned off the engine. Gently he placed a hand on her arm and rubbed up and down, "Sam." 

Her eyes opened, and adjusted to the dark night sky. She looked over at him and then out the window past him. "You could have just taken me to a hotel, you know?" She said sleepily. 

"S'alright." He said, grabbing her backpack and slinging it over his own shoulder. "It will be nice to have someone buy me coffee in the morning."

She pushed the door shut behind her and followed him up the walk, "It's already morning."

***

Samantha woke comfortably several hours later wrapped up in a warm blanket. She blinked her eyes against the sun streaming in from the windows and stretched her arms above her head and felt the deep stretch in her back. Sighing contently back into the mattress she looked around at her surroundings. Bare plain walls faced her on all sides. I didn't surprise her, she knew whose room she was sleeping in. 

Slowly she sat up and pushed the blanket back, her feet landing on the cool wood floor. She smiled, seeing the glass of water on the side table. "Thank you, Jethro." She mumbled, relishing in the way the cool water coated her throat. 

She stood up and reached for her bad, placing it on the bed. She didn't bother unpacking it last night, just stripped down to her underwear and fell straight asleep. She pulled a fresh set of military greens from the bag and laid them out on the bed, her cosmetic bag was next and she checked her watch to see if she had time for a shower. Perfect. She grabbed the bag and a towel Gibbs had left on a chair for her. She hesitated near the door to see if she could hear him nearby. When she didn't she opened the door and made a beeline for the bathroom. 

No matter where she was, a hot shower always made her feel alive again. She took a final deep breath of the steam before turning off the water and stepping out. She wrapped the towel around her body and wiped the condensation from the mirror, taking a good look at herself. She grimaced at the shadows under her eyes, thank you red-eye flight indeed. 

Unzipping the small bag she pulled out a comb and brushed through her thick waves the best she could. After running some product through with her fingers she started brushing her teeth when a knock beat against the door. 

"How much longer do you need?" Came Gibbs' voice from the other side. 

She spat into the sink and wiped her face. "Five minutes." She called back, and began putting her things away. 

She opened the door and came face-to-face with him. "I just need to change." She said moving past him, the smell of shea and lavender wafting behind her. He paused there for a moment, even after her door closed behind her. He closed his eyes. The smell bringing back more memories. Yup. Same old Sam. He smiled and headed back down the stairs. 

A few minutes later she came back down the stairs, backpack in hand. 

"Are greens all you brought, Lieutenant-Colonel?" He asked as he reached a hand out to straighten out her rank insignia. 

"Yes, actually." She replied, tying her hair back into a ponytail. "But at least they're comfier than blues."

"Come one." Gibbs said, turning towards the door, "You still need to buy me that coffee.". 

***

Kate and Tony sat in their desks once again. "Do you think Colonel Ryan's innocent?" Kate asked. 

"Gibbs seems to think so." Tony responded. 

"The guy disappears from a warzone with two million dollars, ends up in the states with an assumed name. What does that tell you?"

"He leads a really interesting life?" 

"What about the man we found dead in his cabin?"

"Like I said, Gibbs thinks so. So does Samantha."

"You don't always have to follow his lead, you know."

Tony looks up at her annoyed, "I don't always follow his lead."

"Like when?" Kate asked, crossing her arms. 

"Like... Remember that girl, Michelle, I told you about?"

"The one with the dog?"

"Yeah. Gibbs met her once, told me to run whole I still had the chance." 

Kate rolled her eyes as another familiar voice filled the bullpen. "Agent Dinozzo. Agent Todd." Tobias Fornell walked up to them as his agent came up and handed them a cup of coffee. 

"Agent Fornell." Kate said, standing. "Why am I not suprised to see you here?"

He shook his head, "Just paying a visit. Brought you some coffee." 

Kate laughed, " This the FBI's idea of an apology?"

"Think of it more as a peace offering."

Tony scoffed, "It's gonna take more than your house special blend after what you pulled."

"I thought as much." Fornell admitted before reaching for the bag in his agent's hand. "Croissant?" He asked, handing one to Dinozzo. 

Tony's glare softened when he saw the pastry and immediately reached for it. "It's a start." 

Fornell turned to Kate, "Where's Gibbs? We have a lot to talk about." 

"Is that right, Fornell?" Gibbs said, entering the bullpen with Samantha beside him. She tucked her bag behind his desk again as he squared off towards the FBI agent. 

"Mind telling me what you were doing in Georgetown last night?" Fornell asked. 

"Why don't you ask your men?" Samantha asked sharply as she took the bag of croissants from his hand and leaned against an empty corner of Kate's desk, handing her one. 

Fornell's eyes stayed on Gibbs. "The Colonel is in a lot of trouble. Level with me and I might be able to help."

"I have a better idea. You level with me and I'll decide if I need your help."

"That's not happening." 

"Tony, Kate. Entertain our guests. Agent Fornell and I are going to have a little talk in private."

"And me?" Samantha asked gesturing to herself with the corner of a pastry. 

"Enjoy your breakfast." Gibbs smirked as they passed by and headed towards the elevator. 

"I feel sorry for your boss." One of the agents said as the two men walked away. 

"And why is that?" Kate asked.

"You obviously don't know Fornell very well."

"We've worked with him before." Kate quipped back. 

"We just don't particularly like him." Tony added. 

"So you do know him." The agent concluded, taking a sip of his coffee. 

***

"He was getting married next month." The FBI agent mumbled, trying not to lose his lunch in the process as they stared down at the remains on Ducky's table. 

"We don't know its agent Carlson yet." Tobias said, his eyes never leaving the table.

"I'm sorry, but i'm afraid it is. The dental records are conclusive. Our John Doe is your missing agent."

"That makes your Colonel a murderer." Tobias spat at Gibbs. 

"Colonel Ryan didn't do this." He said plainly. 

"And how can you possibly know that?"

"There was evidence of a break in and a gun battle at his cabin." Kate explained. 

"We need to see it." The agent said sternly.

"So do we- unfortunately it was incinerated in the explosion." Tony added

"That's pretty convenient."

"Hey- all this started because you people lied to us." Samantha hid a satisfied smile at Kates outburst, 

"Agent Todd." Fornell interrupted, "If Ryan is innocent, how did my agent end up handcuffed at his cabin?"

"I'll get you your evidence." Gibbs said, walking away.

"How?"

"Any way I can."

"Your boss plays a dangerous game." The FBI agent said menacingly at Tony. 

"He doesn't play games." Dinozzo replied.

"Neither do we. If I find out Gibbs is helping Ryan- I'll have him charged, as an accessory to murder." Fornell quipped. "Let's go." The rest watched as he led his agents out of the room.

"He's right." Kate whispered to the two of them. "We have to do something."

"What?" Tony asked. "Gibbs obviously doesn't trust us enough to tell us what's going on."

"You don't honestly believe that, do you?" Ducky asked, joining them at the table. 

"Ducky's right." Samantha said, speaking up. "Trust me." 

"All do respect, ma'am- we don't even know you." Tony said calmly.

"Fair enough. You want to know what he's hiding?" She said, looking them both in the eye. "He's trying to protect you. You have plausible deniability. He's willing; just like I am; to risk his own life and reputation for a friend. Now I've only been here for a day but I can tell you. He's never going to risk yours." 

She started walking towards the doors when Tony called out to her. "Ma'am. Then why are you inside?" 

She turned and smiled softly. "Don't call me ma'am, Tony. But on this particular subject, I've been involved for twenty years."

She turned and continues out the door. 

***

Gibbs stepped into the evidence garage and looked around the room. "Abby." He called. 

"Hey Gibbs!" Came a voice from underneath the remains of a burnt out Humvee. He wandered around to the other side where she rolled herself out clad in a bright red NCIS jumpsuit. "What have you found?"

"I was retesting Colonel Ryan's vehicle to make sure, but I don't think this damage came from an Iraqi weapons system."

The elevator dinged again and Samantha stepped out, "Sorry I'm late." She said, joining them. "Hello Abby." She smiled at the woman. 

"Welcome to the party, Lieutenant- Colonel. " Abby smiled as she let the woman reach down and help her off the ground. "I was just about to tell Gibbs that the chemical signature I found is a match to an American AT4, it's a light anti-tank weapon. I think this was friendly fire."

Gibbs tilted his head at the wreckage. "I don't know if friendly had anything to do with it. Thanks, Abs."

"Uh, Gibbs." Abby interrupted, putting her equipment down. "Actually, we asked you to come down here for a different reason."

Samantha smiled at that and waited. 

"We?" Gibbs asked.

"She means us." They all turned their heads to see Kate and Tony walking towards them. "We need to talk, boss."

"About what?"

"About what you're not telling us." Kate stepped up in front of him.

He turned an annoyed look to Samantha, who simply smiled and raised her shoulders. "You've got a good team, Jethro. I think it's time you use them."

Tony took a breath, "We know you made contact with Colonel Ryan." "We lifted your cell phone while you were charging it, you received a phone call around 1900 last night from a payphone in Georgetown, Findlay's Pub." Kate added. 

He waited a moment. "You lifted my cell phone?" Samantha rolled her eyes and glanced over at Abby who did the same. 

"We also showed your photo and Ryan's to the bartender this afternoon, he confirmed seeing the both of you between 2100 and 2130." 

"It explains why you knew Ryan had been in the country more than two days." Abby added. 

Another moment passed as he stared them down again. "You borrowed my cell phone?" 

"Oh for the love of God." Samantha murmured, crossing her arms in front of her chest. 

"Look, we understand the situation and we just want to help." Kate said, matching his stare. 

"We can't back the play if we don't know what it is." Tony added. 

"Wait, wait, let me get this straight- what you're saying is... you... stole, my cell phone." Gibbs tried again. 

Having enough of the charade, Samantha swatted at his arm with the back of her hand. Gibbs looked at her and raised his eyebrows. She nodded. Letting out a sigh he reached into his pocket. "This tape could prove that Colonel Ryan did not shoot Fornell's agent." He said, handing the evidence bag to Abby. "Can you find out what's on that for me?" He asked her quietly. 

Abby smiled, "All you had to do was ask, Gibbs."

He took a beat and relented, "Okay. Okay, I will... try to remember that for next time." He said, taking a step towards the elevator doors. He leaned into the eye scanner and the doors opened, Samantha followed him in. 

"Tony." He added, pressing the button. "Touch my cell phone again, I'll break your fingers." 

As soon as the doors closed he turned to her, "Did you put them up to that?"

"No. But their not mind-readers, Jethro. They need a nudge. "

"I didn't want them involved." He mumbled. 

"I know that, but what good does keeping secrets do If the FBI finds the Colonel before we do? Or someone else? Ryan is going to end up dead." She said taking a breath. "If airing a little bit of dirty laundry can get to him faster then I really don't give a damn. They're your team. You trust them for a reason."

"It's not really dirty laundry."

Samantha sighed, "You know what I mean."

"Yeah." 

***


	4. Enigma pt.4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, original dialogue does not in any way belong to me. I just weave new characters of my own creation into the mix!

They all stood in Abby's lab as she played the tape. 

" I don't know anything...I told you- I'm an FBI agent, I've never even been to Iraq!"

They watched as Colonel Ryan scratched his face, "What about you, Sargent Buckley- you believe him? Neither do I"

Samantha's whole body froze and her heart pounded in her chest as the tape continued, "Who the hell are you?"

"I am the one asking the questions- what is the money being used for? Whose running your unit?" Suddenly the tape flashed as shots rang out, "Buck! The camera!" and the tape stopped. 

"The end of the tape received the most damage. I haven't been able to pull much info from it. The processing lab would probably have better luck." Abby said, turning to face Gibbs. 

"I'd like to keep this is house, see what you can do."

"Anyone catch a glimpse of the person he was talking to off camera?" Tony asked.

"No but he called him Sargent... What was it..."

"Buckley" Samantha supplied, her voice quiet and soft. 

All eyes in the room turned to her as she whispered. "My father." 

There was a long heavy pause in the room. "You don't think-" Tony asked. 

"No." Gibbs interrupted. "He's been dead 12 years."

"Was there anyone at the bar with him last night?" Tony asked. 

"Not that I could tell. Kate." He said turning to her. "Run down every Buckley you can find in the pentagon database. Abby. You an Tony transcribe the tape. I had a tough time following his line of questioning. "

"Where are you going?" Tony asked. 

"Where do you think?" 

***

Samantha let out a heavy sigh. She walked past Gibbs into the house and up the stairs without a word. His eyes followed her until the door closed, and he went to the fridge to grab a beer. When she came back downstairs she was dressed in shorts and an ARMY t-shirt. She sat down on the couch to tie up her running shoes and glanced up at him watching her. 

"I'm going for a run." She said dismissively, intending to walk past him when he reached out and placed his hand around her arm. He looked down at her deep brown eyes. "You okay?" He asked softly. 

She smirked and pulled her arm from his grasp. "I'll be back in an hour. " She said before heading out the front door. 

Gibbs sighed and walked to the back of the house and down the stairs to the basement. He set it on the counter and took off his sweater, draping it over a chair. He pulled out the flask from the package and another off the shelf, holding them side by side. The original had a bullet lodged in the middle, partially covering the inscription: For luck. Your loving wife. 

Glancing at the two, he heard a squeaking noise behind him. He reached for his weapon in a drawer of the desk and pointed it across from him. "There's no need for that, Gunny." Colonel Ryan said, stepping towards him. Gibb's hand never lowered as he stood up from the chair. "You're not looking too good, sir." He said. "I watched the tape, the man was FBI." 

"Well now you know what I'm up against. I told you, they're everywhere." Finally Gibbs lowered his weapon. 

"Who were you talking to off camera? Gibbs asked. 

"You didn't recognize his voice?"

"Whose voice?"

"Company CO. "

"You're working with Master Sargent Buckley?" Gibbs asked. 

"Just like old times, Gunny." Ryan nodded. 

"Buckley is dead." Gibbs corrected. 

"Yeah, yeah I thought so too. This group has been active since desert storm. They tried to recruit him, but he fooled them."

"He died in my arms, sir, you were standing right there." 

"We say what they wanted us to see." Ryan said, irritated. "When are you going to get it?"

"I get it. You need help. I'm taking you in, sir." Gibbs said, bringing the weapon back up again. 

"Alright, put the gun down."

"No. No, I can't do that" Gibbs said. He watched as the Colonel lifted his hand to reveal the bullets that should have been in his gun. 

"It was the second place I looked." Ryan said, sweat beading down his face. 

Gibbs lowered the weapon and checked, sure enough. Empty. He tossed the gun onto the desk and sighed. 

"Look I know it's a shock Jethro, but maybe you'll believe it with your own eyes." Ryan stepped to the side and glanced behind him. 

Gibbs followed his look, and saw nothing except the empty space at the bottom of the stairs. 

"This group has been influencing national policy for years, Gunny. The bad info we were fed in Iraq, the, the breakdown of info prior to 9/11."

"And Sargent Buckley was working with them?" Gibbs asked. 

"It was part of a small cell, we've been working to try and figure out who is at the top. "

"Well... Then we need help, we should go to my office." Gibbs said. 

Ryan shook his head. "They'd kill us before we even got near the building."

Gibbs leaned against the side of the boat, "Well, the way I see it Colonel we're a little out-gunned here."

"Well... We made some preparations." Ryan admitted. "What kind?" Gibbs asked. 

"Oh you'd be amazed what you can get your hands on these days. "

"Is that why you needed the two million you took from Iraq?" Jethro asked bluntly. 

"What makes you think we have it?" The Colonel crossed his arms over his chest. 

"They tore your cabin apart looking for something."

"Well... They must have been pretty upset when they didn't find it."

"Yeah, yeah they were... They blew it up. Where's the money?"

The Colonel looked off into the distance... "We need to tell him..." He said quietly. 

"Colonel look-" Gibbs tried again. "You contacted me. You want my help, you need to level with me." 

"It's not that we don't trust you Gunny, the thing is... Are you ready to believe it?"

***

When Samantha came back to the house it was already dark. She slowed her pace as she neared the driveway when she noticed it was empty. Gibbs' truck was gone. 

She tried the front door and pushed it in when she found it unlocked. She looked around the living room and the kitchen. Before trying the door that led to the basement. "Gibbs?" She called out, feeling for a light switch. 

When light illuminated the basement, she found it completely empty. She walked down the stairs and saw the glimmer of a gun barrel on the desk. The gun was laying in a heap of materials and a handful of bullets were scattered around it. She pulled back the loading spring. Empty. 

"Okay, that's weird." She murmured to herself. Taking a step back she saw a small splash of blood on the floor near her feet. 

Looking around she saw a box of tissues and a drawer full of rubber gloves. "He keeps the strangest things down here." She said to herself as she pulled a pair on her hands and dipped the tissue into the blood, saturating it enough before tucking it into a clean glove and tying it closed. 

She headed back upstairs and further to the second floor. She headed straight for his bedroom. "Jethro?" She called out again. Silence. She pushed the door open and found it empty. After checking the bathroom, she headed back into her room where her cell phone was sitting on her bed. 

She located the number she wanted and hit send. "Director." 

***

"Gibbs is two hours late." Tony said looking over his desk at Kate, who had the phone to her ear. "And he's not answering his cell."

"Should we swing by his house?" Kate asked. 

"No need. He's not there." Samantha said as she walked into the bullpen in her uniform. A new black glock strapped to her thigh this time. "No, he isn't." A voice said from behind her. Everyone's heads turned and glanced at Fornell. 

"Did you order coffee, Kate?" Tony asked with a smirk on his face. 

"Your boss has crossed the line. " He spat out. 

"We'll let him know the next time we see him." Kate quipped. 

"If I were you, I'd start looking."

"Why's that?" Tony asked. 

Fornell pulled a folded document from his jacket pocket. "Because this is a warrant for his arrest." He said, before putting it back and walking away. 

When the elevator doors had closed behind him, Samantha turned to the other two agents. "Come with me." She said in a low tone. The three of them headed to the opposite elevator that led to the basement and Samantha hit the button for Abby's lab. 

When they arrived she pulled the glove from her pocket, and handed it to Abby, who came to her side without a word. "Gibbs left sometime last night between 2100 and 2230. When I came back tot he house the truck was gone and this was in the basement." 

Abby nodded and took the sample to her work space. She put on a set of gloves and cut the make-shift bag open. She pulled the tissue out and examined it. 

"Will it be enough?" Samantha asked. 

The woman nodded, "Oh yeah. I'll get something off of this." 

"Where were you when this happened?" Tony asked. 

"We don't even know what this is yet, Tony." Kate chastised.

"I had gone out for a run. He was there in the basement when I left." 

"Was there anyone else in the house?" Kate asked.

"Not that I knew of. "

Tony pointed at her sidearm. "Is that Gibbs' too?" 

Samantha shook her head. "No. I had the Director put me under formal assignment and issue me a weapon. As of this morning I'm tasked to NCIS. Figured I be more help that way." 

At that moment, Tony's cell started ringing. He glanced at the caller ID: GIBBS. 

He answered the call. "Where the hell are you, Fornell is here with a warrant for your arrest. "

"Good thing I'm not there, then."

"This is serious. He thinks you're with Colonel Ryan."

"Well, he's smarter than he looks. Can you get Abby pull anything off the videotape, for me?"

"What are you looking for?"

"Whatever you do don't come here."

"I wasn't planning on it."

"Keep in touch."

"Look, whatever you do, just-", he heard the click. "Well he hung up on me." He sighed, Abby, what do we have on that videotape?"

She turned around as she popped the blood sample into one of her machines for comparison. She came back to the computer and clicked a few keys, bringing it up on the screen. "It's not much, most of the data was corrupt." She said, glancing up at the grainy black and white images. 

"For all we know it could be Ryan." Kate sighed. 

"To get Gibbs out of this we need more than a shadow puppet, Abby." 

"I've been rendering several frames over the past hour. Using a modified algorithm I snuck out of NASA on my last visit. " She said with a smile. 

"It's based on the Mars global satalights ability to extrapolate information from corresponding pixels so you can build a composite."

"Today. Abs." Tony sighed. 

"That was very... Gibbs of you Tony." Aby said, impressed. "I've been practicing." Samantha gave a low chuckle at his pride. 

They all watched as the program worked it's magic. "Looks like we have a face on Mars."

"I've seen this guy before." Kate said, pointing at the screen. "In the files Gibbs had us track down on the units that were responsible for transferring money in Iraq. I think he's a reserve Army Colonel. Let's roll." She said, heading for the door. 

Abby glanced up at Samantha, "Two for two, want to give it a try?" 

Samantha laughed, "I'd rather go and get the real thing back." She smirked and followed them out the door. 

***

Gibbs watched as Colonel Ryan pulled weapon after weapon from the crates in the warehouse. "I need to know what Buckley's been telling you."

"Enough to convince me that they have people in every branch of our government." Gibbs' eyes following the repetitive twitches on the Colonel's face when he spoke. 

"How do you know you can believe him?" Gibb asked. 

"He saved my life in Iraq, he has no reason to lie."

"What about his family?" Gibbs asked, "Do they know?" 

"No one knows, Gunny. Just you and me." 

"When about Sam? Doesn't she deserve to know?" 

Ryan stopped his motions and smiled, "Yeah, Sam. Good kid. He'll tell her when he's ready."

He watched the Colonel walk away and opened his cell phone when it rang in his hand. "Yeah."

"We've got a positive ID on one of the shooters at the cabin." Kate's voice rang through. "Reserve Army Colonel Mike Granger, he got out of Iraq two weeks ago." 

"Where?"

"Uh, Virginia. He lives in Fairfax and has a small business. He's there now. You ready to write down an address?"

"Got it." Gibbs said, snapping the phone shut. He turned to Ryan. "I know whose behind your conspiracy." He said. "We ID'ed him off the tape."

"That's the address?"

"Yeah it is. We can pick him up for questioning on the way back from-"

"No. No, You don't shut down a conspiracy by taking down foot soldiers, you swing at the head!" 

"You got to trust me on thi-"

"Trust you? Trust you like the Sargent trusted you? Or have you forgotten about Sargent Buckley?" Ryan spat.

Gibbs stepped forward and got directly in the man's face. "No, sir. I have not forgotten him. I think about him every night- have you forgotten him, sir?"

The next moment was filled with noise as several fully armed agents entered the warehouse and took cover. "This is the FBI, put your hands in the air!" The next second bullets were being fired and Gibbs pulled the Colonel down onto the floor. He pulled his ID from his pocket. "NCIS, cease fire!"

"You set me up." Ryan said roughly. "then why are they shooting at me?" Gibbs asked. "Stay down and let me do the talking. " Gibbs stood up and held his badge higher into the air. "NCIS cease fire!" he repeated, when movement caused him to turn his head. Ryan was running in the opposite direction. The bullets rained once more and Jethro dove for cover. "Cease fire! Cease fire!" 

Ryan caught a bullet on the stomach as he kept running. "Damnit, stop shooting! " Gibbs yelled back on his feet. "We need to talk."

"You're under arrest." The agent said pointing his gun at him. 

"For what?"

"For pissing off the FBI."

Gibbs shook his head and smirked, "Get used to it."

***


	5. Enigma pt.5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, original dialogue does not in any way belong to me. I just weave new characters of my own creation into the mix!

Fornell walked up to Gibbs. "Give me one reason I don't charge you with aiding and abetting a known fugitive Right now."

"I know where Colonel Ryan is headed." Gibbs deadpanned.

"Where?"

"You've been trigger happy Fornell. Let me bring him in."

"You 're not in any position to be making demands, Gibbs."

"Do you want him, or not?"

Fornell took a deep breath, "If you screw me on this." 

"I'll consider it... A bonus."

***

They arrived at the building the same time the FBI did, Tony slammed the car into park and exited. "Hey boss, how was your night?"

Gibbs and Samantha locked eyes and he gave her the smallest of nods. 

"What makes you think he's in here?" Fornell asked as the pushed open the door and entered the building.

"This guy tried to kill the Colonel, your agent got caught in the middle."

"The Colonel had enough weapons and explosives in that warehouse to take out half of DC. How high does he think this conspiracy goes?"

" That's what we're trying to find out." 

They were cut off by the sounds of a woman screaming in the floor above. Fornell reached for his weapon before Gibbs stopped him. "You take a shot at him, you answer to me. Sam. Cover us."

She nodded, pulling her weapon from her thigh and nodded at Fornell to lead. "I can live with that." He sighed. 

As they neared, they could see Ryan with his weapon pointed at someone. "This is the last time I'm going to ask, who do you work for? The CIA? The FBI?"

" No, no please. We work for ourselves."

"NO!" Ryan yelled, his hand holding the gunshot wound in his stomach. "It goes higher than just your greed!" 

Gibbs leaned over to Samantha, "Stay close, but stay low. I don't want him to see you unless I have to." He whispered. She nodded, and silently crouched down to the level of the work desks, making her way behind the Colonel and to the other side of the room. Fornell looked questioningly at him, but followed his lead further into the room. 

"Look, we were bringing down Saddam, why shouldn't we take a little bit of his money?" The man said, his voice wavering.

Ryan shot over the man's shoulder into the wall behind him, making him flinch. He walked towards the man and turned to face the door. "Do you think he'll talk if I blow his knee cap off, Sargent?" He asked into the air. 

"Whose in there with him?" Fornell whispered. Gibbs sighed, "A friend. Stay here. I'll draw him out."

"Last chance." Ryan said pointing his gun to the side of the man's head. "Whose behind it?"

"FBI, CIA, whoever you want. Please don't shoot me."

Ryan scoffed, "I wouldn't waste the bullet." He said before smacking the man in the face. 

Gibbs walked down the hallway towards Ryan. "Colonel." He called, "Put the gun down. There is no conspiracy."

Ryan looked at him, his face twitching and covered in sweat. "The Sargent's right." He said quietly. 

Fornell came up behind Gibbs, and Ryan pointed his weapon at him. Gibbs looked over his shoulder. "I told you to wait in the hall."

"As much as I'd like to, i'm not going to let him shoot you, Gibbs."

Ryan looked at Gibbs again, "Now why, why... Why would you do that?" He asked him. "I don't understand."

Gibbs shook his head. "Neither did Sargent Buckley when he died, Sir." 

A tense moment passed. "I can see that, Sargent!" Ryan yelled. Fornell looked around, finally understanding. 

"Sargent Buckley bled out in my arms, Sir. I couldn't save him. Where is the Sargent, Colonel?" Gibbs asked turning around to the empty room and catching Samantha's eye and nodding. She holstered her weapon and stood a few feet away. 

"Colonel." She said, holding her hands out in the air at her sides. "Do you remember me, Sir?"

Ryan's eyes squinted as he tried to focus. "Sa... Samantha?" 

She smiled warmly and took a slow step forward. "Yes, Sir. It's been a long time." 

"You joined the core?" He asked, seeing the green uniform she wore. 

"Not the core, sir." She said showing him her left shoulder where the Canadian flag was sewn onto her arm. "Same cause though."

He smiled at her and she took another step forward. "A little bit of both your parents then, huh?" 

"Yes sir." Samantha said calmly as she felt Gibbs take a step closer behind her. "My father's name, and my mother's flag." 

"She would have been proud." Ryan said, glancing at the hall again. 

"They both were, sir. But they're gone now." She said quietly. 

"No, that's-" Ryan stumbled through his words, looking from her face to the wall. 

"My father's gone, sir. He died in Desert Storm. You know that. You were there."

Gibbs took another step forward, "The Sargent died a long time ago, Sir. There's a part of you that I know remembers that." He said.

"No." Ryan stuttered. "No that's not true, that- that can't be true."

"You came to our house." Samantha said quietly. "The one on the base, just down the street from yours." She swallowed. "You told me. Told me how he died. You said he wasn't alone."

"He wasn't - he... I was there...we were there." He said, turning to Gibbs. 

"Give me the gun, Colonel." He said softly. "Let me get you some help."

Ryan glanced at the door one more time before turning back to Gibbs. He was fidgeting, and sweating profusely. He was confused, they watched as his eyes darted from face to face. "Sir..."

In a moment the Colonel brought the gun to the side of his head. "Colonel." Gibbs yelled. "If you want to shoot somebody, shoot me. Sargent Buckley died saving my life!" 

Samantha tried to even her breathing out the best she could at that while she watched the scene before her eyes. In the next second the Colonel was handing her his gun and falling towards the ground before she and Gibbs stepped forward and caught him in their arms. She threw the gun behind her to the ground towards Fornell. 

"Colonel." Gibbs gasped as he tried to take the brunt of the man's weight as he fell. He wrapped his arms around the man and fell to his knees, taking Samantha with them. She followed his actions and held the man close, tears falling from the corners of her eyes. Ryan gasped for breath and sputtered, "I don't understand."

Gibbs just held him close and whispered, "It's okay. None of us ever do." Samantha reached out and placed a hand over his arm. 

***

They stood on the other side of the observation glass watching as the Colonel sat in a chair. 

"For paranoid schizophrenia to strike this late in life, it's...I'm hoping with the right medication he can return to a relatively normal life." The doctor said, turning to Gibbs. 

"Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean people aren't out to get you." Fornell added. Looking at the rest of Gibbs' team. 

"Any idea why he fixated on Sargent Buckley, Gibbs?"

"Yeah." He said as his memory drifted off to another time. 

***

He drove them home again, for the third day in a row. And for the third day neither of them spoke the entire way. Something heavy hung in the air between them as they replayed the events of the day in their minds. Gibbs slowed to a stop, put the truck in park and opened his door. For a moment he contemplated going around to her side, but she was already pushing it closed behind her, backpack slung over her shoulder. 

He stepped aside to let her walk through the door ahead of him and after shutting it, he reached out and took her hand in his to prevent her from walking away. She turned to face him with clouded eyes. "Sit." He told her, taking the blue cover from her head and placing it on the table. 

She did as she was told, unlaced her boots and listened to the sounds of him rustling around in the kitchen. After a few moments he came back with two large mugs, handing her one. She brought it to her nose and inhaled the sweet smell of the tea, noticing he had poured himself the same. "No coffee?" She asked quietly. He smiled, "I'd actually like to try and sleep tonight, this seemed like a better idea."

She nodded and took a small sip of the hot liquid as he made himself comfortable beside her. A long moment passed where neither of them spoke. "You don't have to explain anything, Jethro." She said, softly breaking the silence. 

He turned his head and looked at her carefully. She wasn't sad. She wasn't mad at him either. But her eyes were heavy with exhaustion. Mental exhaustion; he knew; from reliving the past. "You don't want to know?" He asked carefully. 

Samantha shook her head. "I don't need to. Ryan told me then, and I remember his words everyday, 'He wasn't alone'. That's all I need." 

She watched his expression turn into something different as he angled his head away from her. "Did you think that's why I was so surprised to see you?" She asked. 

His shoulders hung heavily as he leaned forward onto his knees. "I didn't come back with the Colonel after... I stayed. Those were my orders. And then I never saw you again. I just figured..."

"That I blamed you?" She waited a moment when he didn't respond. She took the cup from his hands and placed both on the side table next to her before slipping her hands into his. "I never did." She whispered as his head bowed forward away from her eyes. She squeezed his hands tightly. "I could never blame you, Jethro. My dad, he loved you like a son. And you were there for him until the last second. You were there for him when I couldn't be. Every time he came home I had to hear all his stories about you and Ryan." She laughed. "The pranks he pulled on you guys." 

She smiled when she felt the man finally let out a chuckle. She took her hands back and placed them on either side of his face as she kissed his forehead gently. "These few days, I got a part of him back. And I got to see the side of you that he did. He would have been very proud." 

Gibbs finally raised his face back up to her. "Of you." She said, a small smile ghosting over his features. He sat back into the couch pulling her with him. He wrapped and arm around her, holding her close to him. "Sam." 

"Yeah." 

"I'm glad you came." 

She smiled. "Me to." 

***


	6. Bete Noir pt.1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, original dialogue does not in any way belong to me. I just weave new characters of my own creation into the mix!

Samantha headed down the stairs to the main floor and glanced around. The only sign of life around was the coffee pot sitting on the counter, still steaming. She went to the cupboard and pulled down two mugs. She added cream to one and took a sip, smiling happily before picking up the other and heading to the basement. 

Jethro heard the creaking of the steps and glanced up, sanding block in his hand. "Morning." He said, turning his attention back to the piece of wood he was working on. 

"Good morning." Samantha said, placing the fresh cup down beside his empty one. "Brought you a refill." She murmured. 

"Thanks." Jethro said, looking down at it. He laid the block to the side and picked up the mug, taking a long sip. "When do you head out?" He asked leaning his weight into the table. 

"Not for a few hours. I was thinking about bringing the team some snacks as a little thank you for putting up with me."

Gibbs smirked, "More like you putting up with them. But they'll appreciate it." He took another sip. "I've got another 45 minutes, I'll drive you."

"Sure, thanks." Samantha nodded, cradling her warm mug in her hands as she hopped up onto a stool and watched him continue to work. 

"So you never told me about your assignment? Where is it?" Gibbs asked her as he pulled up a fresh piece of wood and started making measurements with a ruler. 

"It's here, in D.C." She said, "I'll be working with a couple of organizations, just floating around, NCIS, DOD... Mostly consulting, but also representing the investigative branch." 

"Why here?"

Samantha drew her eyes downward and stared into her cup. "Uh... Just needed a change of scenery."

Jethro nodded, still facing away from her. He didn't need to see her face to know there was more to it, but he wouldn't push. 

"Which means we'll probably end up working together again." She added, changing the subject. 

"Well you're not a bad investigator, Sam." 

"Thanks." She smiled softly, "I'm still pretty new to that part of the job but I'm learning." 

"What did you do before?" Gibbs asked, leaning down to blow away a pile of sawdust as it puffed into the air. 

"Before the Investigative Service, I was with the 2nd Intelligence Company and before that I was overseas for a while." 

Gibbs nodded, "Yeah I heard you were in Mogadishu. One hell of a place to be"

She scoffed, "You wanna talk about conflict..."

A harsh laugh emerged on Jethro's face, "Been there."

A long pause settled between them. "I'm going to go finish packing, get dressed." She said, slipping off the stool and headed to the stairs. 

"Half an hour." Gibbs said as he watched her leave. 

She threw one hand in the air in recognition, "Got it."

***

"So what would happen?" Kate asked as she settled into her desk.

"Forget it." Tony said, hanging up his jacket. 

"Forget what?" Gibbs asked from his desk. 

"Oh- Tony's bête noir." Kate teased.

The agent smirked back at her and turned to his boss. "Uh, It's French for um-"

"Nightmare." Samantha filled in as she rounded the corner. She was wearing jeans and flats with a grey t-shirt and her arms were full of items. 

They all looked over at her with surprise as she rolled her eyes. "Oh please. Pensiez-vous vraiment que la Canadienne ne pouvait pas parler francais? Tony, Prends ca." She said, holding out the carry tray of coffee she had in her hand. 

Kate rolled her eyes at Tony's confused expression. "Take the tray, Tony."

Samantha chuckled once he did. "Merci, Kate." 

"De rien. I'm pretty sure that is the only French word Tony knows." She smiled. 

Tony scoffed and inspected the cups, looking for his order. "Maybe I was just distracted by the lack of Army greens, Lieutenant-Colonel." He said taking a sip before handing Kate her cup. 

"I am back to being a civilian today, I also came to bring my temporary weapon back." Samantha smiled and passed him a box of donuts and pastries. He glanced inside. "I see sprinkles... But no sprinkle donuts." He said in mock disproval. 

Sam shrugged her shoulders. "Abby." She explained. As Gibbs' phone rang in the background. 

Tony tilted his head- "I'll allow it."

Jethro stood and placed a hand on her arm. "When do you leave?" He asked. Samantha checked her watch- "2 more hours until I need to leave for the airport." 

"Okay, I gotta head up to MTAC."

She nodded, "I'll wait." She said, placing a takeout cup in his hand. 

He smiled and headed upstairs. 

Samantha leaned back against his desk and turned to the other two. "You guys still working the case from yesterday?" She asked. 

Tony nodded, "Yeah, bagged and tagged everything in the guys room- not much there. Koran, prayer rug, fast food wrappers. Dirty, I'm talking this guy didn't take out his garbage. He had sinus problems, bad breath."

Samantha narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. "Yeah no toothpaste, toothbrush, anything, just breath freshener." Kate added. 

"Ew." Samantha wrinkled her nose. 

"Apparently GITMO has intel that he was supposed to execute a terrorist attack on a Naval base in Norfolk... But he's kinda dead right now and this is all we've got to go on." Tony said, taking a bite out of a muffin. 

***


	7. Bete Noir pt.2

Abby stood in the bullpen with the full evidence box in her arms as she looked around. Kate saw her out of the corner of her eye, "Abby?"

"Where's Gibbs?" She asked, "Uh, with the director."

"Where's Tony?" 

"The head."

"Samantha?" 

"Went to return her service weapon."

Kate watched as the woman's face creased in discomfort. "What's wrong Abby?"

After a moment of contemplation Abby placed the box on Kate's desk. "Ducky needs all this evidence back in autopsy." She hurried. 

Kate looked at the box, "Before you've tested it?"

"Yeah."

"Well that's strange."

"Yeah." Abby agreed before squatting near Kate's desk, "I can't go down to autopsy." 

Kate leaned in towards her, "Why?"

"I had this dream- like a month ago. And ever since then, autopsy scares the hell out of me." She admitted. Kate chuckled. "Why are you laughing?" Abby asked angrily. 

"Sorry, sorry. I was um, I was just thinking of Tony."

"Tony's afraid of autopsy too?" Abby asked with a confused look on her face. 

"No, uh, dreams of vampires."

"Oh!" A smile slowly crept on Abby's face, "I dig vampire dreams."

"Well. Tony sure doesn't"

"Well that's silly. "

"Oh, and fear of going to autopsy, which you've done your entire career- isn't?"

"Of course it is. But that doesn't change anything. I can't even take the elevator down to the basement anymore."

Kate glanced at the box again, "So you want me to take this evidence down to Ducky?"

"Would you?" She asked. 

"Yeah, of course." Kate smiled and Abby stood back up. "Okay. You have to sign to maintain the chain of evidence. Oh and um, Ducky's doing an infectious autopsy."

"On why, the terrorist?"

"Don't know." Abby said. "He just said to leave everything outside the door."

Kate looked confused. "Well Qassam's the only body in autopsy, why would Duck think he was infectious if you hadn't done a blood test?"

They looked at each other for a moment. "I don't know." Abby admitted before heading off to her lab again. 

***

Gibbs walked down the stairs from MTAC and glanced around. He saw Abby pacing back and forth along the far wall. He made his way over to her. 

"In his office.. a day later..."

"Abby?" He asked, coming closer to her. "Yes!" 

"What are you doing?" She sighed heavily, "I was having an internal debate."

"Whose winning?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I'm not sure... Oh hell. The phobic side." She said pointedly. 

"Still can't enter autopsy?" He asked, placing a gentle hand on her arm. "No. "

He looked at the wall. "Did you find any trace of explosives on the victim's clothes?" He asked, changing the topic. 

"Ducky took everything back before I had a chance to test it." Abby said, as they began walking towards his desk. "What?"

"Don't look at me- he wouldn't say why- he just wanted everything back, including the blood."

"Including the blood?" He clarified. 

They reached the desks, just as Samantha arrived back. "Yeah it was weird. There's no way to do a blood test in autopsy."

"Gerald pick it up?" 

"Gerald was busy, Ducky just wanted me to bring everything down there 'STAT'." 

"STAT?" Gibbs asked. 

"Yeah, and I wouldn't go so Kate took it down." Abby admitted. 

Gibbs moved past her to his desk. 

"Guys, what's up?" Samantha asked just as Tony came back. 

"Something..."

"Hinky?" Tony asked with a concerned look on his face. 

"Tony." Gibbs got his attention, "Get autopsy up on the plasma."

"Huh?" 

Gibbs pointed to the screen. "Autopsy. TV. Now."

"Why would Ducky say 'STAT'?" He asked out loud. 

"Because he's a doctor and because STAT means fast in a-"

"Medical emergency." Samantha filled in, stepping beside them. 

"But what is a medical emergency in autopsy?" Gibbs asked as they all stared into the grey screen. 

"All I'm getting is snow." Tony said. 

Gibbs immediately took control. "Punch up autopsy receiving and stairway cameras, then the building floor plans."

"On it, Boss."

He picked up the phone on his desk and hit a button. "Gibbs for director." He turned towards Abby, "Hey- Ducky sound funny to you?" he asked. 

"Tense. Like when a test result isn't what he expected." 

"Director. We may have intruders in autopsy. Possible hostage situation. " He said into the phone piece. 

"Uh, we got an ambulance outside autopsy receiving, boss."

Gibbs spoke into the speaker again. "Yes sir. I think we should alert HRT and open a command centre in MTAC. Sam's gonna need that weapon back. " He said looking up and meeting her eyes. She nodded and rushed back to the office. "Aye sir." Gibbs said before hanging up. 

Abby paced the floor restlessly. "I should be down there." she mumbled. 

"Hey Tony. Where's my floor plan?" Gibbs asked, strapping his weapon to his belt. 

"Coming up."

"Okay, we need two agents in the receiving, two in the elevator here. Go to TAC1."

"TAC1." Tony confirmed, pulling a radio and headset from his desk as Samantha arrived, weapon on her hip. 

"That was fast." Tony commented, "Radio's in Kate's top left drawer." 

"TAC1- I heard you." Samantha said, retrieving the radio and turning it to the correct station. 

"Abs, how do I rotate this thing?" Gibbs asked Aby quietly. "Just tell me what you need." She said, sitting down at his desk. 

"Your lab and autopsy. Entrances and exits." He said still facing the screen. "Give me a 360. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Go. Go. Go. Stop, right there. He pointed to the screen. "What's right there?" 

"My gas chromatograph."

"Can it be moved?" 

"Yeah." 

"Do it. Abby I need a drill and a flexible video probe."

Tony pointed at Samantha, "You're with me." He turned to Gibbs. "Agents on their way, we taking the basement stairwell?"

"Yeah." Gibbs agreed as they both followed him out of the room. 

***


	8. Bete Noir pt.3

The three of them hurried down the stairwell, weapons in hand. When they reached the bottom Gibbs waited a beat before slowly nudging the door open and glancing inside. The red emergency lights flashed in the hallway and the overhead lights were out. "Autopsy's dark. Who'd you get to back us?" he asked.

"Pacci is covering receiving, Balboa, the elevator." Tony responded. 

"Pacci, Gibbs. You in place?" He spoke into the headset. "Affirmative. Ambulance is empty, elevator door closed. Do you want us to enter?"

"Negative, hold your position. Balboa?"

"Standing by, personnel locked down."

"Disable the bell, go down to autopsy. Don't open the doors." 

"Roger."

"I'm going back to MTAC." Gibbs said, going back up the stairs. 

"We've got a hostage situation don't we, boss?" Tony asked. 

Gibbs smiled at him. "Time to make a phone call. You two stay here." He glanced over at Samantha smiled, "I think you're gonna miss your flight."

She raised an eyebrow and smirked up at him. "I'll get the next one."

***

The emergency evacuation alarm went off inside the building as a dozen agents in full black tactical gear entered the bullpen. 

"Special Agent Gibbs." Jethro introduced himself.

"HRT leader, Horowitz. What do ya got?"

"A terrorist is holding three of our people hostage in autopsy." Gibbs explained, gesturing to the screen. One person wounded. We're here. This is autopsy. Elevator. Staircase. Receiving. I have special Agents at all three and they're on TAC1." 

The men divided, The HRT leader turned to brief his team and Gibbs spoke into the headset. "Balboa, bring the elevator to level three to rendezvous with HRT. Pacci, Dinozzo, Sam- replacements are on their way."

Gibbs turned to the man again. "The elevator's on the other side of that staircase, your team will have to access receiving from the alley."

"Okay, Gentlemen. Move!" The man started when Gibbs interrupted him. "Hang on a second. These hostages are our people. I'm in charge here, understood?"

"Understood."

***

Tony, Sam, Gibbs and Abby entered the evidence garage as the elevator doors opened. "Typhoid, Anthrax, Smallpox- it could be any number of diseases." Abby rattled off. 

"Kate and I have already been exposed." Tony added.

"Maybe not." Gibbs corrected him. 

"I need the evidence I signed this morning, Charlene." Tony said to the woman at the gate.

"What?"

"The evidence I signed in, now!" He yelled before turning to his boss. "Why haven't we been exposed?"

"If Qassam was infectious the attack would have been successful. No need to send a cleaner to keep us from finding out."

"Maybe he wanted to delay our isolation to exposed sailors to release an epidemic?" Tony said. "So sick." Abby added, "Well it is!" she defended at Tony's unimpressed glare. 

Gibbs took the evidence box and walked over to an empty space of floor. "One of you has to sign for that!" The woman said and Tony took her hand, signing his name in sharpie to her palm. "Don't wash."

"Not nice." Sam smirked, and they followed Gibbs to the pile of evidence bags on the floor. 

Samantha plugged in the light stand beside them and knelled down. "This guy wouldn't have infected himself until he got a job on base, right?" "He would have carried the virus in something that's here." Gibbs finished for her, as they rummaged through the evidence. 

"How long was he slinging burgers?" Abby asked. 

"Eight days." Tony said. "That's good news, usually it takes longer than that to become infectious."

"Usually?" Tony asked, giving her a look.

"Okay I'm going to start testing." Abby said, standing. 

"Not until we get duplicates to give him. We're not giving him the virus back." Gibbs said. 

"Well the pharmacy will have the aspirin, the nasal spray and the breath freshener." She said looking at the bags, before handing them to Gibbs. "and the nearest place to get the tea..." She said, pulling out her PDA. "Would be... The Tea Peddler, 278 Connecticut Avenue. Now can I get started?" 

Gibbs just looked up at her in confusion and handed the bags back. "How long do you think it would have taken me to find the nearest tea shop?" He asked out loud. "An hour sooner than me." Tony said. 

Sam chuckled and patted him on the back as she stood and gathered the box. 

***

Gibbs and Samantha stood alone in the bullpen. He was at his desk and she leaned against the side of Kate's watching him. "You're going to do it?" She said quietly. 

"Well, yeah Sam I kind of have to." He said with a smirk. 

"Don't be flippant." She said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. 

He turned and met her eyes, they stared at each other for a long moment until the elevator doors dinged open. "Got it all bagged and tagged, Boss." Tony said, rushing back into the room. "Aspirin, breath freshener, nasal spray and tea. Qassam drank a wimpy dregealin from northwestern Kasmir. I prefer a darker, more robust flavour of tea from the Ramacudra area in northeast India where they take the leaf and they rake it with a small-

"Tony." 

"Yeah."

"You nervous?"

Tony let out a deep breath, "Yeah I don't like the idea of you going in there unarmed and solo."

"No choice. Besides I need you in there outside receiving." He looked over at Samantha. "Both of you." He pressed a finger to his headset. "Team one. Gibbs. Elevator to level three."

"By the time we get down from receiving it will be over."

"He isn't a suicide bomber. He has an escape plan. Maybe to get out the same way he came in." Gibbs said, picking up the evidence box and heading towards the elevator. " I want someone I know there."

"That's the same as saying someone you trust." Tony noted. "Someone you can depend on." They waited for the doors to open and Abby popped out.

"I tested everything." She said, "The nasal spray was the only viral container." Gibbs took her place and nodded. "Thanks, Abs."

"Your best man?" Tony asked.

Gibbs chuckled and the doors shut. 

Tony looked at them "I don't think best man was the right thing to say to someone whose been married thrice."

Samantha looked down and didn't say anything. Abby turned to him, "You worried?" She asked. Tony faked ignorance, "Oh...no."

Yeah." Abby nodded. "Me too." 

Tony turned to Samantha. "I know." She said following his lead. "I'm with you."

***


	9. Bete Noir pt.4

They waited at the receiving door for any signs of movement. Tony had his back against the wall next to the door and Samantha was further off to the side, her weapon pointed at it. 

She took slow even breaths to calm her mind and slow her heart rate, just like her father taught her. Sniper breathing. 

Tony was listening to his headset. "I have a shot." "Negative."

Tony looked at her and they made eye contact. He held up 3 fingers... 2... "Go." 

He reached for the handle and pulled the door open in one quick motion. She stepped through it and immediately turned to her right. She could feel Tony over her shoulder doing the same on the left. He fired two shots and she saw a blurry motion out of the corner of her eye. She turned and saw a man in black clothes with a gun raised towards them. She fired two shots of her own and the man went down. 

"Clear." Tony said. 

"Clear." She answered as they approached both men. Samantha kicked the weapon away with her foot and reached down to check his pulse. 

"Mine's out." Tony said from a few feet away. "This one's still alive." She responded. "He took one in the vest, one went through." She knelled down and turned the man over onto his back, "Cuffs." She called and Tony gathered the man's hands behind him, binding his wrists as backup arrived. Tony looked at the agents. "Call an ambo for this one." 

The agent nodded and spoke into his radio. "We need a second ambo in receiving."

Samantha and Tony looked at each other before rushing back into the stairwell and up into autopsy.

***

"Boss? Boss." Tony asked as Gibbs was struggling to put him into focus. "I got him." Samantha said, getting down on the ground next to him, "Find Kate and Ducky." Tony nodded and left his spot. 

"Jethro." Samantha said as she looked at his would, putting pressure on it with a gauze pad. His eyes adjusted to the light and he looked up at her. "Don't try to get up." Samantha ordered when he struggled. "Don't try- well you're up, then." She murmured when he fought his way onto his arms. He groaned out in pain and she reached around to support his back. "EMT's should be here in a minute, you've got a through and through. How's your breathing?"

"Did we get him?" Gibbs asked trying to see through the remnants of the smoke bomb. Samantha glanced over at the body on the floor just as Tony made it back. "Yea boss." He said, "You got him." 

"You were right," Tony started as an EMT came over and began evaluating Gibbs' wound. Samantha supported his back as they put an oxygen mask in his hand. "He had two accomplices in HRT gear waiting in receiving. We got him. Ones dead, the other's gonna make it." 

"Where's Kate and Ducky?" H asked. Tony and Samantha each wrapped an arm around him and pulled him to his feet. "Right here." Samantha said as they walked past them. "He had them in the body cooler." Tony added. 

Gibbs recovered his balance and walked over to the body on the floor. The HRT leader was standing there, "How'd you get him, Gibbs?" He asked.

Jethro stuck a foot under the man's body and rolled him over. "I didn't."

"Okay come one." The EMT that was holding pressure on his wound interrupted. "Time to get you to the hospital." 

"Yeah, boss. He's right. Sam's gonna go with you. I'll take care of things here." He said glancing over at Samantha who nodded. 

They got back into the elevator with the EMT's and Kate and Ducky. "How are you, guys?" Samantha asked, placing a hand on Ducky's arm. "We're alright." Kate said, a half smile on her face. "They took Gerald already?" She asked. 

"Yeah, they rushed him right out of here. They said you did good work, Ducky." 

The older man shook his head. "Unfortunately only time will tell." he said solemnly. "Do you need a ride?" Samantha offered. Kate shook her head, "I'll be doing paperwork for a while." 

"Ducky?" Samantha asked.

"No, my dear. I'll be alright."

The doors dinged open and they stepped into the bullpen. "Where did Abby go?" Samantha asked. Ducky smiled, "She'd sleeping downstairs tonight."

"Oh is she?" Sam smiled. Jethro chuckled and followed the EMT's to the door before turning around. "Keys are in-"

"Top drawer." Samantha said, stopping at his desk. "Already have them." She said holding them up so he could see. "I'll meet you at the hospital."


	10. Bete Noir pt.5

Samantha leaned against the side of the truck as she waited outside the hospital doors. Soon enough, she saw Gibbs walk out, a sling holding his arm up and a fresh scrub shirt on. 

He walked towards her and she opened the door for him. "That took too long." He grumbled, pulling himself up and into the seat with his right arm. She close the door behind her and walked around to the driver's seat. "Yeah well, do you want the stitches done right?"

He sighed and leaned his head back against the seat before glancing in the back, "What's all this?"

"Groceries." She said, pulling out of the parking lot and heading to his house. 

"You missed your flight." He said in a tired voice. 

"It was worth it." She said, glancing over at him. 

"No. It wasn't" he responded plainly. 

"Jethro, everyone got out alright. Gerald is going to be fine, and you're going to get him."

"Yeah I will." He said, closing his eyes as she drove the rest of the way back.

***

Samantha pulled the truck into the driveway and turned off the engine. Gibbs didn't wait for her to get out before he was out of the side door and reaching in the back for the bags.

"Hey- hey." Samantha said, stopping him. "I've got these." He ignored her and picked of a plastic bag with his good arm, wincing as the pain still shot through his shoulder. Samantha signed as he ignored it and continued through the front door. 

When she had brought the rest of the bags into the house, the room was empty, she glanced over and the basement light was on. She threw some pasta in a pot and turned on the stovetop to let it boil before heading to the door. She stood at the top step, leaning on the railing as she watched him stare at the gun in his hand. He pulled the safety and in one swift move extended his arm out beside him and let out two bullets at a photo pinned on the wall. 

"You wanna keep going?" She asked and he looked up at her. "Should I let the neighbors know you've installed a shooting gallery down here too?" 

He looked up at her with tired eyes. 

"Come on." She said, waving him up. "Eat something and then go to bed."

***

A few days later Samantha was up early. She had her bag sitting by the back door and she was in the kitchen cooking breakfast. 

Gibbs came down the stairs at the smell of food and coffee, immediately reaching for a mug. "Hey." He greeted her. 

"Morning." She said, looking him over, "No sling today?" 

Gibbs shook his head once and took a sip. "Can't sleep with that thing on, I'll put it on later." Samantha nodded towards his cup. "Take that out to the table this will be ready in a minute."

"Mmmhmmm" He murmured, turning on his heel and heading to the table where he sat down and rubbed at his shoulder. Soon Samantha walked in carrying a plate and a glass of juice. She put the plate in front of him and the glass on her side, before going back to get another. 

When she came back Jethro had already started on the eggs and bacon that were still hot. She stabbed her fork into the eggs and chewed slowly, "So I already put a frozen lasagna in your freezer, all you have to do is throw it in the oven. And then there's some of the leftover chicken from yesterday in there too." She said taking a sip of her juice. 

"You finally getting on a plane today?" Gibbs asked her before taking a piece of bacon in his fingers and biting off a piece. 

"Got to get things settled before I have to come back." She checked her watch, "My cab should be here in ten minutes."

Gibbs nodded thoughtfully and a long moment of silence followed. 

"You got a place to live yet?" He asked.

"Um no... I need to start looking actually. Do you know of anywhere?" She asked him between bites of food.

"Not really my skill set, you could ask Kate or Dinozzo." He took a long sip of his coffee. "Or you could stay here." He added. 

Her eyebrows shot up in amusement, "Didn't know you were looking for a roommate, Jethro." She teased. 

"Well, never had one that cooked like this." He joked before turning to her. "I'm serious."

She tilted her head, evaluating him for a moment. "Really?"

"I wouldn't have asked otherwise, Sam." He said "The house is pretty much empty."

"Except for the boat in the basement." She added

"Well yeah, that's gonna be a rule, you don't mess with the boat." He smiled at her.

Samantha though about it for a second. "I can live with that." She said. Outside a yellow cab honked at the front of the house. "Mmm. That's me." Samantha said rising from her seat to grab her plate. 

"Leave it, I got it." Gibbs said waving a hand over the table. 

"Thanks." Sam said, placing a quick kiss on his cheek. "I guess I'll see you...soon." 

Jethro lifted his mug to her, "Have a good flight." 

"Thanks." She said, swinging her bag over her shoulder and slipping out the door. 

Jethro stood with his cup in hand and stepped into the living room, watching from the large window as she slid into the back of the cab and it pulled away and out of sight.


	11. Dead Man Talking

A loud ringing jarred Samantha awake from sleep. Her hand came up to rub her eyes as she tried to focus in the dark. Turning her head towards the noise, she reached out blindly and grabbed her cell phone off the table, squinting at the caller ID. Gibbs

She flipped the device open and held it to her ear. "Do you not sleep?" She asked drowsily. 

"Hey." The deep voice on the other end greeted her. She pulled the device back and looked at the time clock. "How are you still awake at this hour?" She asked with a yawn. 

Gibbs winced at that and glanced at his watch. "Yeah, It's early. I didn't mean to wake you. I'll just call later."

"No." Samantha said sitting up, "I'm up now. What's wrong?"

A deep sigh heaved on the other end as Gibbs plopped himself onto his couch and Samantha rolled her eyes at his long pause. "Come on, Jethro. You wouldn't be calling me at 2:30 in the morning if something wasn't wrong."

"One of my agents was murdered." He said softly on the line. 

"What?" Samantha asked propping herself up further. 

"Not the team," Gibbs corrected, "A friend."

"What happened?"

"They found him in an elevator... Gutted." He said, his voice distant and tired. 

"Oh my god." 

"Yeah... I..." Gibbs pulled the phone down for a moment to rub his hands over his face. 

Samantha waited a beat. "What is it, Jethro?"

"He was working a cold case, he asked me for help the other day." He let out a deep sigh. "I blew him off, Sam. I dismissed him."

"Why?" She asked.

"We were busy, working on a time-sensitive case." He said, flashing back in his mind. 

"How's the shoulder?" Chris asked, falling into step with Gibbs and Tony, "Ah it's getting there." 

"You got a minute, Gibbs?" The man asked, holding a folder in his hand. 

"No, not really... Pacci, what do you need?"

"No, you're busy it's... a cold case... What's one more day?" The man waved off and headed back to his desk. 

"Well being busy is not the same as blowing him off." Samantha said logically. 

"What does it matter, Sam?" Gibbs leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You met him?"

"I did?"

"Chris Pacci." Gibbs explained. 

"I'm sorry, Jethro." She said softly. 

"Yeah. Yeah, me too." He sighed. "Look, go back to sleep. I've gotta take a shower and change before I go back in."

"You should try to sleep." Samantha noted, leaning back against her pillow.

"Not gonna happen tonight." Gibbs said, getting to his feet and walking towards the stairs. "'Night, Sam."

"Let me know if you need anything. Goodnight."

***

Abby spun around in her chair, waiting for the test results to come back. Stopping herself against the desk, she reached over and pick up the phone, punching in a number. 

"Lieutenant-Colonel Buckley."

"Abby Scuitto." She matched. 

"Well It seems I'm awfully popular with the international calling today." Samantha said, leaning back in her chair. 

"Gibbs call you?" She asked

"Very, very early this morning. I'm sorry about Pacci, Abs." 

"Thanks, he was family. I've been in my lab since four in the morning."

"And now?" Samantha asked. 

"Waiting on test results."

"Ah." Samantha nodded. "How is everyone?" 

"Okay. Gibbs and Kate went to the memorial service today, the rest were on stakeout duty, and I've been stuck here."  
She paused, "Did Gibbs tell you about the memorial?"

Samantha shook her head, "No, why?"

"The director asked him to say a eulogy. He declined." 

Samantha sighed, "Yeah. He blames himself."

"As always." Abby added. "When do you come back?" She asked. 

"Um... In a few weeks. I'm not even done packing yet."

"Oh well that's- oh my god. Sam I have to call you back." Abby said hurriedly before hanging up and rushing out of her lab.

***

Gibbs grabbed a beer from his fridge and loosened his tie. He reached onto his belt and grabbed his cell phone. 

"Well at least you're observing regular calling hours this time." Samantha said. 

"Yeah, I figured I owed you that one." He said before taking a long swing of his beer. 

"You get 'em?" She asked, changing the topic. He nodded to himself and pulled out one of the dining room chairs to sit down. "Yeah I did."

"Tell me."


	12. Reveille pt.1

Jethro's eyes darted back and forth dramatically from behind closed eyelids. 

He roughly zipped the black body bag that laid on top of the autopsy table. Pulling it back he revealed Kate's lifeless body. Eyes staring back at him in death, and a single gunshot wound over her forehead. Glancing up he saw him, the man smiled and chuckled softly.

He shot up from his sleep, a cool sweat covering his body as the bedsheets were wrapped haphazardly around him. He stared out into the darkness, before rubbing his face with his hands. He glanced over at the clock beside his bed, 4:25.   
Jethro sighed, taking in a deep breath. Might as well get up now. 

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and grunted with the effort it took him to push off the soft surface. He checked his phone for a text he knew would be there, "On time. 5:20". Placing it back on the side table he wondered his way into the bathroom for a shower. 10 minutes later he stepped out of the steam, and began the process of shaving his face, careful not to cut himself in his sleepy state he held the blade under the hot water, watching as the remains of his stubble and shaving cream washed their way down the drain. After brushing his teeth and starting to feel a little more normal, he got dressed and headed out the door. 

He stood at the almost empty arrivals gate at the airport, taking slow sips of the hot coffee in his hand. He watched as several people trickled through the doors every few minutes. Some walked into the awaiting arms of family members, others headed straight to the taxi pool outside in the cold. He watched them all with a detached curiosity while the back of his mind still burned with the face of that damn terrorist. Gibbs tried to shake himself out of that image. The man had infiltrated his dreams now. 

A few moments later Samantha walked through the doors, a pale green Army canvas bag over her shoulder and a wheeled suitcase behind her. She caught his eye and smiled. When she reached him Gibbs leaned down to place a soft kiss on her cheek and took the handle of the luggage into his own hand to pull. "How was your flight?" He asked as they headed for the large doors. 

"Oh you know how much I love a good red-eye." She mumbled sarcastically. "I don't suppose that coffee is for me, is it?"

"Nope." Gibbs said, emphasizing his point by taking a large sip and smacking his lips. 

"Oh thank you for that. You may just need it more than I do by the looks of things." She said, taking a good look at his face and braced herself for the biting early morning chill outside. 

"Couldn't sleep." Gibbs mumbled, watching her shiver. "You good?" 

"I came prepared this time. Doesn't mean it isn't freezing though." She said stuffing her hands into her jacket pockets. 

They continued the walk in silence and Gibbs loaded her luggage into the back of his truck while she slipped into the front seat, rubbing her hands together to get the blood flowing again. He turned the engine over and cranked up the heat. 

She looked over at him as he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road. "So are you sure you're okay with this?" She asked. "Because if this is just temporary, then that's okay. I'll start looking for a place." 

"I already told you I was." Jethro said, bringing his coffee cup to his lips again. 

"Because If I call the moving van for delivery then they're showing up." She tried again. 

"Call 'em, Sam." He said with a smirk. "Just remember my stipulation."

"Don't touch the boat." She said, holding her hands up in the air in mock surrender. 

Gibbs nodded, "Exactly."

She nodded her head with a laugh. "Alright."

He was quiet for a beat, "You remember the way back to my place from the Navy yard?" He asked. 

"Um... Yes, I think so. Is that where we're going?" 

Gibbs nodded, "I'm going in early." She said. 

"Gonna stare at that facial recognition screen for a few hours?" She asked quietly. 

He glanced over at her in surprise. She shrugged, "Abby was worried." 

He nodded and took a long pause. "I gotta get this guy, Sam."

"I know." 

***

A few hours later Gibbs was asleep at his desk, arms crossed in front of his chest, head tilted back. Abby and McGee stood nearby, watching him. "Wake him up, McGee." She whispered.

"I don't know, maybe he needs the rest."

"He's not resting, look at him!" Abby said, "His eyeballs are disco dancing under those lids."

"Disco dancing, is that back?" McGee asked. "It's Gibbs- it never left." Abby smiled. 

"McGee, you should get back." Gibbs said suddenly, sitting up and startling them. "The Norfolk office opens in..."He squinted at his watch, "24 minutes. It's a 193 mile drive." He reached for his coffee but the cup was empty. 

"Well I was gonna call in." McGee said. "Yeah?" Gibbs asked, throwing the cup in the trash. "And tell them what, McGee?"

"Well, uh, that you needed me to work here, today."

"Why would I need you here?" Gibbs asked, standing and heading towards Tony's desk.

"Well because I think I have an idea on how to speed up the search for... Him." He said, nodding his head towards the computer screen where the terrorist's picture was being scanned through facial recognition. 

Gibbs paused. "I'm listening." He said opening a filing cabinet in search of a new shirt. Instead he pulled out a pair of red underwear. 

"Ooh, Gibbs. I dig 'em." Abby smiled

He looked back at her with a smirk, "Tell Dinozzo." He said tossing them on top of the agent's desk and grabbing a clean shirt. 

"The database we're scanning has over ten million photos," McGee started, " It will take a month to check them all."

"Is this your idea to depress me, McGee?" Gibbs asked, getting into his personal space. 

"Oh no, no. If we could find out his precise age then we could limit the search to the year he turned 21."

"93% of UK graduates are 21." Abby filled in. As they followed Gibbs across the bullpen.

"And scanning that year would trim down the search to a couple of days." McGee explained. "It's a good idea!" Abby added.

"Oh yeah, it's a hell of a good idea. Just one problem. How can we find his age when we don't know who the hell he is?!" Gibbs asked, getting more irritated. 

"Would you be less grumpy if you slept in a bed?" Abby asked

"No, I wouldn't." Gibbs snapped knowing how well that went the first time. 

"I didn't think so." Abby said quietly. 

"Boss, the FBI has a photo software program that they use to show what missing kids would look like today." He explained. 

"I know what that ass looks like today, McGee." He said, continuing on his path. 

"I know you do, but to create that program the FBI had to use specific criteria..." "So McGee spent half the night developing a program that can use that criteria to tell a person's age from a photo." Abby explained.

"This you can do?" Gibbs asked, the information stopping him in his tracks. 

McGee nodded, "I just need a couple hours to put it on your hard drive."

"Yeah." Gibbs nodded, "That's worth a hall pass- I'll call Norfolk." He looked over at Abby. "He stayed over at your place?"

"Yup." She nodded. 

"You slept in the coffin, McGee?" He smirked before pushing open the door to the men's washroom and disappearing inside. 

***

Samantha walked through the front door, lugging her luggage behind her. She flicked on the lights and took a look at the sparse room. She sighed heavily and glanced out the window. The sun had only begun to rise, reminding her just how early it was. She had to try and fight the urge to sleep if she was going to beat the fatigue of really early morning air travel. She left the larger bag behind in the living room and carried her canvas bag up to the second floor. 

Pushing open the door to the spare bedroom she looked around at the familiar space. It had changed in the three months since she had been here last. The boxes that she knew held Kelly's things were gone. Hesitantly she pulled open one of the drawers to find it empty. The same with the closet. She certainly hadn't expected Jethro to clean anything out for her. Maybe they had been empty all along. She hadn't looked last time. She left the bag on the bed that was laid in new sheets and headed back downstairs. 

After lugging the suitcase upstairs, Samantha was hungry. She hadn't eaten breakfast yet and was due for something. She ventured downstairs into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Smiling at the fact that Gibbs had actually managed to get groceries, she pulled out a few eggs and bread for toast. 

An indulgent hour later she sighed and left her plate in the sink, heading upstairs. She began unpacking her things from the bags. She spent a few hours folding and hanging clothes and then the small personal possessions she brought with her that she hadn't packed away in boxes. 

A few books were organized onto a shelf on the wall and a few photographs stood among them. She glanced down at one. Her favourite photo. It was a younger photo of her and an attractive looking man in army fatigues. It was taken in Rwanda, their helmets were strapped on and weapons hung over their shoulders but they stood arm-in-arm smiling and laughing at each other. 

Samantha reached out and ran a finger of the man's face, smiling. "Looks like I'm back on your side of the boarder for once." She said softly before placing it on the nightstand beside her alarm clock. She sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the photo for a long moment. After a while she glanced down, the fingers on her right hand playing with the plain wedding band on her left. 

***


	13. Reveille pt.2

By the time she had finished everything Jethro finally made it through the front door. When she heard his footsteps she popped her head out to glance down the stairs. "That you?" She called out. 

"Yeah." He said tiredly. 

She came down the stairs and found him sprawled out on the couch. "Still feel like crap?" She asked, heading into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. "My gut." He answered. 

"What's it telling you?" 

"That bastard's back in the States. I know it." He grumbled. She came back with two mugs in her hands and handed him one. He made a face at the tea but logically knew that another cup of coffee wouldn't do him any good. 

She nudged his feet to the side and sat down when he made room for her. "Any new intel?" 

Gibbs scoffed and took a sip. "Not that anyone wants to share with us, apparently." He grumbled.

She sipped at the hot liquid. "You should try and get some real sleep tonight." She said gently. 

"Yeah, we'll see about that." He said sarcastically. 

"You need the truck again tomorrow?" He asked. 

"If you don't mind." She said, standing and heading for the stairs. "I'll drive you in and then leave it in the lot later." 

He nodded, inhaling the scent of the calming team. "Okay. I might need to make a stop. " 

"There's food in the fridge." She called down the stairs. 

Gibbs stood up and went to inspect.

***

Sam pulled the truck into the NCIS lot and hopped out, locking the door behind her. She pulled the strap on her bag over her shoulder and headed inside. She entered the bullpen where the team was waiting with Ducky, Gibbs was the only one missing.

"Sorry I'm late." Samantha said coming up to Kate's desk. 

"Actually, you're right on time." The woman said sweetly.

"Ah Samantha." Ducky smiled, "Welcome back, my dear. How was your flight?" He asked placing a kiss on her cheek. 

"It was good, thank you, Ducky. I snuck in a cat nap between unpacking today so hopefully that's the worst of the jetlag. Shall we?" She asked, pointing to the door. 

"Yes. I'm starving." Tony said loudly, joining them. She smiled as Kate rolled her eyes and the group left towards the elevator. 

On the walk over, she walked with her arm through Ducky's as Kate told them about this morning's events. " I don't know, I'm worried about Gibbs." She said. 

"Why that's like worrying about Jim Bowie in a knife fight." Tiny said. 

"Bowie was killed at the Alamo." Kate corrected. 

"I know, I saw the movie." 

She rolled her eyes, "He's fixated on that terrorist."

"Not fixated- determined. Like Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive, like Mel Gibson in Payback."

"You ever read a book?" Kate asked. 

"Kate, determined is good in a guy."

"Until it turns into obsession." She stated, "You know, he surprised me at DCBeans this morning? He bought me coffee and then probed me about that terrorist like it happened yesterday, not months ago."

Samantha and Ducky shared a look as they walked behind them. 

"Well that is serious... He's never bought me coffee." Tony contemplated. 

"Tony-" "Kate. Gibbs is like a dog with an old bone. You give him a ribeye steak. When he's done with the steak, he goes back to the old bone. The terrorist is Gibbs' old bone."

Kate took a moment. "Let's hope he doesn't choke on it. 

***

"You know, Gibbs was like this just before his last divorce." Ducky said, taking a bite of his lunch.

Kate smiled over her glass. "We can't divorce him, Ducky." She teased. 

The doctor laughed, "You wouldn't want to, my dear. No matter how gruff he becomes."

"I mean maybe he'll take it out on the mysterious redhead instead of us." Tony joked, his mouth full of food.

"Must you talk with your mouth full?" Kate asked in disgust. 

Tony chewed and swallowed his food thoughtfully, looking over at Samantha. "However, since we haven't seen that one for a while, It's Sam's turn to take one for the team now that you're back." He raised his eyebrows suggestively at her. 

"Good luck with that." Samantha smiled sipping her water.

"Who was Gibbs chasing when he was with his last wife?" Kate asked. Samantha perked up, she didn't have any information of the other three ex-wives. 

"Had to be a redhead." Tony murmured as he dipped his fingers in Kates glass, looking for a piece of fruit when she smacked him. He froze instantly. "You're not Gibbs. Do that again, you're going to be wearing that tuna salad."

Kate gave him a dirty look as Ducky continued. "He was after a child murderer. She was five. Pretty little thing. A deviant had sexually abused her and beaten her to death." 

Kate put her fork down. "Uh. Its stuff like that that makes me sick. Gibbs catch him?"

"Oh yes it took almost a year. By then a second girl had been murdered. Gibbs was a bit difficult to live with for a while after that."

Tony looked over at Sam. "So tell me again, where you're staying Lieutenant- Colo-" He cut off when a movement across the street caught his eye. "It's her!" He said distractedly. 

"Who?" Sam asked. 

"The love of my life." He said quickly before standing and running off across the street to where the Swedish girl he met earlier was running. 

"Oh...huh!" Ducky laughed and kept eating. 

"Whe- When is he going to grow up, Ducky?" Kate asked. 

"It's in the genes, my dear. In Italy, most boys Tony's age are still living with mama." He smirked, making Samantha laugh. 

"Uh...god." Kate shook her head before reaching for the doctor's watch. "Gotta head out, I've got a GITMO conference in twenty minutes." Kate said, wiping her mouth on a napkin. She looked around. "It was Tony's turn to buy." she said unimpressed. 

"I'll take care of it." Samantha said. 

"No, no." Kate protested.

"My treat." Ducky said shushing her. "Your first day back, you don't pay for lunch." He smiled.

"That's not right." Kate tried again. 

"Go Caitlin. It's been a long pale winter. Allow me some sun and company before I return to my human jigsaw puzzle."

"Really?" Samantha said curiously as Kate's expression read the same thing. 

"You don't want to go there." Ducky assured them. 

"Okay." Kate smiled, standing. "Thanks for lunch Ducky." she said placing a kiss on his cheek before doing to same to Samantha. "Welcome back."

"Thank you." Samantha smiled as the woman left. 

The remaining pair sat together enjoying the peacefulness. "Ducky." Samantha said, "You need to tell me more about these three ex-wives." 

He raised his eyebrows, "Well I'd naturally assumed that you'd know more than me."

Samantha shook her head. "No, no. I knew Jethro pre-divorces."

The man nodded, "Ah. An interesting time that must have been."

"Indeed. Now tell me what you know." She smiled. 

***


	14. Reveille pt.3

She was back at home after dropping Gibbs' truck at the Navy yard and taking a cab. Looking around she admitted to herself that she didn't have much to do. She didn't have to report in to work for another week. She had already called the movers and scheduled the rest of her belongings to be delivered in a few days. 

She walked into the kitchen and noticed a few dishes still in the sink and set to work, after tuning an old radio to the closest station. She hummed along to the music as she worked, first with the dishes, then taking out the garbage, vacuuming the living room and upstairs. 

She paused her work when her phone rang. "Hello?" She said, flipping it open. 

"Hey, It's me." Jethro's voice came through over the speaker. "Did Kate come back with you guys after lunch?" He asked.

"Um, no. Tony ran off and she had to conference with GITMO. I came back with Ducky and then took a cab home." She said, surveying her work. "Why, what's up?" She asked. 

She heard him growl on the line as he turned to Tony, "Boss-" "That bastards got her." He spat. 

"What, Jethro- who?" She asked, alarm slipping into her voice. 

"Ari the goddamn terrorist. He's back, Sam. McGee!" He yelled across the bullpen. "Get me a trace on Kate's phone!"

"Sam." He turned his attention back to her, "Lock the doors, close the blinds. I have another weapon downstairs under my work bench. Do not answer for anyone other than me."

She immediately headed for the front door, locking it with the deadbolt and heading for the back. "Got it." 

She heard the click of the call ending and locked the backdoor as well. She pulled the living room blinds closed and headed downstairs, running a hand under the bottom surface of the desk until the found the glock he kept there. Checking to make sure it was loaded, she tucked it into her waistband and headed back upstairs. 

***

Gibbs used his key to unlock the front door a few hours later, pushing it open. "Since when do you lock your door?" Fornell asked him, following him in.

"Since you people let a terrorist back into the country." He spat back. "Sam?" He called out, looking around. 

"Hey." She said, rounding the corner. "Agent Fornell." She nodded at the man. 

"Lieutenant-Colonel Buckley." He smiled at her. 

"Samantha." She corrected, turning to Gibbs. "You get him?" She asked. 

He shrugged and tugged his coat off, hanging it up. "Nope." He made a point of staring at Fornell with a dirty look as he said it. 

"FBI?" She asked the agent, crossing her arms. 

"Nope." He said, following Gibbs towards the basement stairs. 

"What about Kate?" She asked, reaching out to place a hand on Jethro's arm. "She's alright." He said softly. He shifted his eyes to indicate the man behind him and Samantha nodded and smiled. She let them pass and headed back upstairs. There was going to be some yelling.

An hour later she heard them leave. "I'll be back." Gibbs called up the stairs as he and Fornell headed out the door. "Have fun." She called back.

***

A few hours later she heard the door open again, she opened the door to her room and watched as Gibbs came back up the stairs towards his room.   
"Well?" She asked sleepily.

"I shot him." Jethro said with a satisfied smile before heading to his room and closing the door. 

She smiled and retreated back to bed. Looks like he'll finally get some sleep.


	15. See No Evil pt.1

"Good morning." Sam greeted as Gibbs made his way down the stairs, still dressed in his sweat pants and NIS shirt. 

"Coffee." He grumbled, walking into the kitchen. Sam pointed to the coffee maker, and watched as he poured himself a mug, taking a sip. He sighed, letting the caffeine wake him up and placed a kiss to her cheek. "Morning."

She chuckled, "Do you want anything?" She asked, pointing to the toast she was waiting for. "Yeah sure, throw a slice in there for me when you're done." He said heading out to the front door. He walked down the steps and leaned down to pick up the paper. He scanned the headlines as he wandered back into the living room and sat down at one of the dining room chairs opposite Samantha. 

"Anything good in there?" She asked as the toaster popped up from the kitchen. He handed the paper to her, "Look for yourself." He said as he stood. A few moments later he came back with one slice on the plate and another in his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully as he glanced over at her. 

"What?" She asked, feeling him watching her. 

"You still married?" He asked pointing to her left hand. 

She hesitated, and lowered her mug back down to the table without taking a sip. "It's not like I'm shy to the concept of divorce." He said with a self-deprecating smirk. "But I mean you move to another country, into another man's house, just figured I should ask."

She shook her head, "It's nothing like that." She said, taking a pause. "I just had a hard time taking it off." she smiled softly. 

He nodded. "Where is he?" 

"Arlington." She said, not hesitating to meet his eyes. He knew instantly what she meant and mentally kicked himself for his lack of tact. He looked away from her, "Sam I-"

"Don't" She smiled. "Do you ever feel better when someone says it to you?" She asked with a playful smirk he never would have expected. 

He smiled back, "No." 

"Then don't finish that sentence." She chuckled. 

He finished his toast and stood up, placing an apologetic kiss on her hair before heading to the kitchen, taking her empty plate with him. 

She followed him and refilled the hot water for her tea. "When?" He asked, looking over at her. 

"Two years ago." She said looking over her mug at him before taking a sip. 

"9/11?" 

"Just after." 

He nodded and rinsed the dishes off before placing them in the dishwasher. 

"You almost ready to head in?" He asked, changing the subject. 

"That depends." She smirked, "Is that what you're wearing?" She asked raising her eyebrows playfully. 

He laughed and headed up the stairs. "Five minutes." He called out. 

"Aye, Gunny." She called back. 

***

The pair walked into the bullpen and were hit by a heat wave. "Jesus it's hotter in here that it was outside." Samantha said feeling the muggy air cling to her skin immediately. "Yeah it's been out since last night apparently." Gibbs said leading them down the hallway. H held his hand out in front of him stopping her. "Look." 

They glanced up to see Tony rip his button down shirt off to reveal a fully soaked-through tank underneath. "What are we, on a spaceship?! Windows should open!" 

"I think Tony's having a meltdown." She murmured, making Gibbs chuckle, "Literally."

Kate walked to her desk spouting the usual banter to her colleague. When she went to sit down she shrieked and stood up immediately, pulling Agent McGee up by his ear. "I wasn't looking, I swear!" 

"Yeah, you should get in there." She chuckled as they advanced towards the desks. Gibbs stopped in front of their desks for dramatic effect. "Tony." He asked. 

"Yes, sir."

"Did I just see what I thought I saw?"

"Out of respect for my co-workers, boss, I'd have to say- yes you did, and I...it- it's very disturbing."

"I agree, put your damn shirt back on, this is a federal office building, not a gym." He said, taking his seat. 

Samantha laughed and leaned against the corner of the empty desk opposite him. "Good morning everyone." She smiled as she reached into her bag and tossed Tony a new water bottle which he guzzled down immediately before putting his shirt back on. "Good morning, Sam." He gasped. 

"Damn it, McGee." Gibbs said, interrupting anyone's response as he rose from his desk and walked over to the young man. "Why are you still here?" He asked. 

The man stuttered, clearly surprised, "Well...uh, the, the contractors, they won't wire the network until the air conditioner's fixed. It, it's a union thing, so..."

"So, you decided that it's more important for an NCIS special agent to crawl around all day by yourself?" Gibbs asked, as the other two agents watched with heavy looks of intimidation etched across their features. "Man asked you a question." Tony pushed. 

"Well... I, just, I wanted it fixed before I returned to Norfolk." He explained. 

"Yeah? You have any idea where thinking like this is gonna lead you?" Gibbs asked, giving his best stare down. "Yeah do ya, McGee?" Tony egged on.

He held up his finger in the man's face. "Promotion." Gibbs smiled, thunking the agent lightly in the chest. "Oh by the way, Special Agent McGee, Lieutenant-Colonel Samantha Buckley." He said pointing to the woman and back to Tim. 

McGee looked over to her and nodded, "Pleasure, ma'am."

Samantha chuckled at the looks on Tony and Kates faced changed from confusion to jealousy. "And If you need any help." He added, "You ask Tony here, he looks like he could use a workout." Gibbs walked away and sat at his desk. 

"It, it's not that difficult." McGee said to Tony before the agent sent him a glare of his own, "So, I, I guess I can do it, myself." He corrected. Samantha smiled and sat down in the empty chair, pulling her laptop onto the workspace ignoring the rest of the squabbles until Kate placed herself in front of Gibbs. 

"We've got a problem, Gibbs." She said, trying to get his attention while the man fiddled, frustrated with this cell phone.   
He slammed it against the hard desktop. "You know what, I hate this thing. Crap!" 

Kate let out a sigh, "There's a secretary from the Pentagon downstairs, and she claims that her boss is being held hostage... By his computer."

"See?" Gibbs emphasized, hitting the phone with his hand again. "There's a reason i didn't trust these things." He said holding up the offending object. "Here!" He said, throwing the phone to McGee, "Reboot that or something, send her up, Kate." 

Tony walked towards his side filing cabinet and pulled out a brand new phone box from a pile of several stashed away there. "Reboot it?" McGee asked helplessly.

"Or you can do what we always do." Kate said as Tony handed him the box. "It's his third one this month."

"You need me in there?" Sam asked as they headed to interrogation?" 

"Nah." Gibbs said, five's a crowd, we'll fill you guys in."

"Fine by me." she said as she leaned over towards her bag again and pulled out two more bottles. "McGee. Catch." She tossed him the bottle before leaning back in her chair. "and don't call me ma'am." She smiled.


	16. See No Evil pt.2

Kate pulled a sheet of paper from the fax machine, "The Watson's live in McLean." She announced, " There's no answer at home and their daughter, Sandy, didn't show up to school this morning. It says here she's blind."

"Tony." Gibbs called from his desk. "I can confirm he's the comptroller for JSOC. Office is in the A Ring of the Pentagon." He stood, and brought up the data on the plasma. 

"JSOC?" Kate asked.

"Joint Special Operations Command." Samantha filled in, "They fund SMU, which is Special-"

"Special Military Units. I worked with a few of them when I was Secret Service." Kate nodded her understanding. "So he can really transfer this kind of money overseas?" She asked. 

"More if he needs to." Gibbs answered. 

"Our bad guy would have to pass through five security checkpoints to get to Watson's office." Tony added.

"Well, the pentagon records all access." Kate said. "there's 25,000 people working there, Kate. By the time we're done downloading that list, the government's out two million dollars." Tony said.

"Or Watson's family's dead." Sam added. 

"Well, it has to be somebody on the inside, the Pentagon is the most secure building in the world." Kate countered. 

"Well..." Samantha said. 

"They could be using a trojan." McGee popped out from behind another desk to face them. When the team continued to look blankly at him, he continued, standing, "Well she said they were using his computer. A trojan would give them backdoor access."

"You kiss your mother with that mouth, McGee?" Tony asked with a smirk. 

"No, Tony, a trojan is a program." The man clarified, "It's like a virus that establishes a gateway into a computer and allows the hacker to control the system."

"Still doesn't explain how they got it into his machine." Kate said.

"Well if they're good. They could have done it from anywhere. Wouldn't have to step foot in the building."

"How are they watching him, then?" Tony asked. 

"Could be using a webcam." 

"Or they're lying." Gibbs countered. "Kate, take McGee and search the Watson's house. Dinozzo, I want everything there is on Watson and his family by the time I get back. Ah there we are." He said as an agent carrying a plastic box walked towards him. 

"Sam. Come sign for your service weapon." He said, clipping his own onto his belt. 

She rose and met the agent, signing the sheet of paper in front of her, he handed her the weapon and two magazine clips which she loaded and strapped to her thigh. 

"Where are you going, boss?" Tony asked. 

"To talk to Captain Watson." He said, heading for the elevator with Samantha in tow. "Wait, Gibbs. If they're watching him and you show up?-" Kate interrupted. 

"I better make sure they don't notice me." Gibbs noted without turning around. 

When they stepped into the elevator Samantha sighed. "Looks like I'll need to change too." 

***

Gibbs walked through the Pentagon halls in full Gunnery Sargent dress browns while Samantha strode beside him in her dress blues. The heavy formal jacket feeling less uncomfortable in the air conditioned environment than it did outside. 

"Morning, Lieutenant-Colonel, Gunny." A passerby greeted them and Samantha answered first, "Morning Staff Sargent." Gibbs smiled as they walked down the crowded hallways. "You enjoying this?" He smirked at her. 

"No. It's exhausting." She countered with a glint in her eye. "I'd rather be in my greens with a gun on my hip. Much more comfortable."

"I don't know." Gibbs said as they rounded a corner. "You fill out the uniform quite nicely. Ma'am." He added after a beat as her eyes glared at him. "Especially when all you have to do is show up at the doors and they let you in without question." 

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get this over with." She sighed, checking the slip of paper in her hand. "Watson's office should be just up ahead." She pushed through the doors of the outer office and gestured to the private office door with her hand, signing to him that she would stay here and keep watch. 

He nodded and knocked briskly on the wood. "Enter." Gibbs pushed open the door and stepped inside, leaving it open behind him. 

"Sorry to have missed the budget meeting yesterday, sir. But you know how the colonel gets when he's sick." 

"How's he doing, Gunny?"

"Better, sir. Thank you. He wanted me to check with you, see if you needed any extra help down here."

"Tell him, I appreciate it, but uh... We've got all things covered."

"Roger that, sir." He said, placing several folders on the man's deck. "The latest batch of requests here for you. Most immediate priorities on top." He said, tapping just above the small camera for emphasis. 

"This must be that daughter you're always talking about." Gibbs said, picking up the framed photo on the desk and placing a bug on the back. "She is a beauty, Sir."

"She is that, Gunny. She is that."

"You change your mind, sir, all you have to do is call. We have plenty of people willing to help you, sir."

"I will, Gunny, thank you."

"Have a nice day, sir." Gibbs finished before heading back out the door and closing it behind him. 

***

He's right about one thing- she is a little beauty.

"Hey Gibbs, your mic is coming in loud and clear- whose that in the office with him, the devil?" Abby shouted with the headphones covering her ears. Gibbs tapped her gently on the shoulder, "Hey, hey, hey." He murmured. When she faced him he started signing with his right hand. You're yelling.

Sorry. She signed back and removed the headphones as Samantha chuckled at them. 

"You know, considering no one in this room is actually deaf, that's really annoying." Tony noted, beside them. Samantha turned around from her position facing the plasma and signed back. Peabrain. 

"Nice one." Abby smiled at her.

"Hey that was about me wasn't it." Tony asked. 

"Patch in the video, Abs." Gibbs said, joining Samantha on her side of the desk. 

"It's not a very flattering angle." Abby says as the video pulls up. "Yeah well, it's the best I could do." Gibbs responds, still holding her caf-pow. 

"What can you tell me about the voice?" 

"It sounds like this particle physicist I used to date." Abby started, "He had these tiny little chicklet-like teeth and an Eiffel tower tattoo on his-"

"Do you want this? Abby, or not?" Gibbs asked, stopping her mid sentence. 

"Okay, obviously it's being disguised." Abby said, as she continued typing. "I think I can filter it back to it's original state."

A few more seconds and they heard the same sentence played back as a high pitched squeal. "Yeah, okay. I'll, uh... Get that APB out on the lollipop guild right away." Tony said sarcastically. 

"Patience." Samantha muttered as the voice kept changing over the speakers. The next time it came out very deep and slurry. The third time, Abby matched it perfectly, a normal man's voice repeated the sentence out loud. She is a little beauty.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Abby said. 

"Very." Samantha said, impressed. "Give the girl her caf-pow, Jethro." 

"Not bad." He agreed, handing her the large cup. "The next thing I want you to do is hack into Watson's computer, its the only link we have to the kidnapper." 

"Oooh." Samantha said softly, feeling sorry for the woman as a look of hesitation came over her. 

"Gibbs," Abby stated, "We are talking about the Pentagon, here. Even their encryptions have encryptions!"

"Yeah?" Gibbs asked turning around to face her. "That dirtbag sure managed it." He said, pointing at the screen. 

"It probably took him months! Our best bet, is to ask the DOD for access to their system. Sam could do that." She said, pointing at the woman. Don't bring me into this. Samantha signed back at her.

"The first thing they'll do is disconnect the connection." Gibbs said matter-of-factly. "That happens, we'll end up with two dead dependants."

"I don't know if I can do it." Abby said seriously. 

"Dinozzo, get McGee on the hook." He said after staring at her for a long moment. 

"No!." abby said, taking the phone from Tony's hand. "I'll get in."

"Yeah?" Gibbs asked her softly.

"Yeah" she agreed. A new determined look on her face. 

"I believe you." 

***


	17. See No Evil pt.3

Gibbs walked back into the bullpen to find Samantha and Tony already there. "Dinozzo, I need a way to communicate with Captain Watson."

"I got the communication part solved, boss." Tony said holding up a tiny piece of plastic. "Earwig, radio receiver. Used them all the time for undercover work back in Baltimore."

"How do we get it in his ear?" Gibbs asked.

"Did I also mention there's one tiny flaw in my plan?" Tony asked. 

"Dinozzo, I show back up there as a Gunny, this guy is going to get suspicious." Gibbs said, pacing the room. 

"Well do you think I could pass for a Marine?" Tony sighed.

Samantha let out a bark of laughter, and stopped when she realized he was serious. "Sorry."

"Well I don't know, let's shave your head and find out."

"Actually I was leaning more towards merchant marine kind of thing."

"Tony wait-" Samantha said, an idea coming to her. Gibbs pointed to her and reached for Tony's food. "Yeah yeah, I'm right there with you. Don't eat that."

"No, no, no, no..." Tony struggled to wrestle his food back but Gibbs snatched it from his hands. 

***

Samantha, Gibbs and Abby were all listening in to the feed as Tony entered the Captain's office. 

"This better work." Gibbs muttered. 

"It's a good cover, Jethro. He'll be fine." She said nudging him with her shoulder. 

"I've got your sweet and sour with extra pineapple." Tony said handing him a paper bag. "You know you might want to change your order tomorrow, heard we're getting in some fresh duck." 

Samantha chuckled as Gibbs just sighed at the man's improvisation. 

"I'll just stick to the usual."

"Alright. $8.75 today. How's the family doing?"

"Fine, you?"

"Still having trouble communicating with the girlfriend." Tony said, "I talk. She doesn't listen." He said, slipping the earwig into the loose bills in the man's hand. "What are ya gonna do?" 

They heard a deep groaning as the Captain was about to put his wallet away. 

"Oh yeah, sure. For you." He said, handing Tony back a few bills. 

"Thanks, Cap. See you tomorrow." 

"FREEZE. "

Gibbs took a breath as the electronic voice spoke again once Tony left. 

"Open the bag and show it to the camera."

They watched as the Captain listened, pulling the box of food out and showing the contents to the webcam. 

"Hahahaha. Enjoy."

"Delivery complete." Tony said into his cell as he made his way back through the halls. 

"That's good work, Tony." Gibbs replied. 

"Thanks boss, that means a lot."

"If NCIS doesn't work out I hear General Wi's Chinese Restaurant is hiring." He said before hanging up. 

"Told you." Samantha smiled.

"Abs, get the Captain up on the feed." Gibbs said, putting his phone away. 

"Alright." She said typing a few more keys. "You're in."

"This is special agent Gibbs with NCIS. If you can hear me, cough once, Captain."

The man complied. 

"We are changing the game plan, Skipper. When he contacts you again, tell him you want to see a good faith gesture on his part. Tell him that you want your daughter returned now. Tell him that if you don't get her back, you're going to take your chances with the FBI. He'll try to intimidate you, and we have to call his bluff. Rub your brow if you have the courage to go this route."

They all watched as once again the man agreed. 

"You are not alone, Captain. We'll get through this together. I will be in touch." Gibbs said before hanging up. 

"Okay, can you get these feeds hardwired into MTAC?" He asked Abby.

"Done." 

"Are you inside his computer yet?"

"Oh, well... I um..."

"Need help?" He asked. 

"Yeah."

Gibbs smiled at her. "All you need to do is ask." 

She nodded back at him. "One of the smartest people I know told me that once." He added.

"Who?" 

"You, Abs." 

***

The four of them watched the feed from MTAC as the captain tried to hold himself together and keep working. 

"I screwed up." He mumbled. "I screwed it all up."

"It's only been 40 minutes, Captain." Gibbs tried to reassure him. "He will contact you soon. Until then, you have to stay strong. It's our best chance of getting your family back." 

Samantha sunk herself down into one of the chairs and burried her head in her hands tiredly. Kate turned to look at Gibbs with a disappointed stare. "You got something to say?" He asked her.

"We're taking a really big risk here, Gibbs."

"Yeah Kate? What happens to the little girl and her mother when the dirtbag gets his money?" He asked. 

"What you think he'll kill them?" 

"You're the profiler. Profile. You tell me"

They were interrupted when they heard the phone ringing in the Captain's office. Gibbs put his headset back on. 

"Answer your phone, Captain." the voice said.

"Where is she? Where's my daughter?" The man demanded.

"I said answer the phone. Captain."

"Yes?" 

"Daddy?!"

"Oh thank god." Samantha breathed standing back up again. 

"Sandy! Where are you?"

"I don't know." The little girl cried tearfully, " He let me go but he said... He said he'll kill mom if I tell anyone what happened."

"You tell me where she is."

"Lorton Amtrak Station. You got your good faith gesture. Now get back to work." 

"My people are on the way Captain. Tell her to stay where she is. Go get her." He said, turning to Tony and Kate. 

"Sandy, sweetheart. Just stay right there." He said as the agents hurried out of the room. "Don't go anywhere. Daddy... Daddy will be there to get you in just a little while." He promised over the sounds of her sobs. 

"Hang up the phone now, Captain. And believe me when I say, your wife's life depends on it."

"I have to hang up now, baby. Now listen. I want you to be brave for me, okay?" He asked. "This will be over before you know it." 

"Daddy help me!" Were the last heartbreaking words they heard before the phone clicked off. 

Gibbs sighed. "I'm gonna go see If Aby and McGee are able to get through yet." He said, taking off the headset again. "You okay?" He asked touching her arm lightly. 

"I will be once she's here." She said softly. 

Gibbs nodded in agreement and headed out the door.


	18. See No Evil pt.4

Kate and Tony walked back into the bullpen with the little girl holding Kate's hand. Samantha stood up and pulled a chair out for her. She bent down to the little girl's level as they approached. 

"Hello Sandy." She said gently, "My name is Samantha. We've been working here all day trying to help your dad find you. Does your arm hurt?" Sha asked, noticing the bright red abrasion marks on the girl's wrists. 

She nodded, "Yes they do." 

"Well we have one of the very best Doctors here at NCIS. His name is Doctor Mallard, but we call him Ducky." 

This finally brought a small smile onto the girl's face. "Can I stay here with you?" She asked. 

"Of course." Samantha said, taking her hand. She took her to the empty chair and lifted the girl onto it before turning to Dinozzo. "Find Gibbs and Ducky."

Samantha Helped pull the little girl's hair back off her face. "I know it's very hot in here." She murmured. "It's not so bad." Sandy assured her. "How did you find me?" She asked. 

"Well, remember that phone call you made to your dad?" Sam asked, and the girl nodded. "It led us right to you." She said tucking another strand behind her ear. 

"Oh, do you hear that?" Samantha asked when she heard footsteps approach, "Dr. Mallard is here."

She watched as the doctor bandaged up Sandy's wrists and taped them so they wouldn't move. "There." He said gently. "Feel better now?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Well, you've been a very brave patient. I think you deserve a surprise." He said reaching into his pocket.

"A Hershey bar?" She asked immediately. 

"Yes." He said, impressed, before leaving in, "Are you sure you're blind?" He teased.

The girl smiled, "I can smell it." 

"Ah. I'll be right back, Sandy." He said, placing it in her hand. "I need a few moments to talk to my friends." 

He nodded at Samantha before leaving. 

"Your arms look better." She commented, carefully touching the girl's hand. Sandy took it in her own. "Your hands are cold." She said. 

Samantha smiled, "They always are." 

All of a sudden, Sandy perked up and faced the direction of the rest of the team. "A little bit. Can I have some water?" She said, responding to a question Samantha didn't hear. She smiled, "Sure you can." 

***

Gibbs walked over to where they we sitting. "Sandy, this is really important. Can you tell us anything about the car you and your mom were driven in?" The little girl, turned her head towards Samantha. "It's alright." She said patting her hand. "This is Agent Gibbs. He's a friend of mine. He's trying to find your mom."

The girl turned back towards his voice. "Well. It was a van, and there were no windows in the back."

"How could you tell?" He asked her. 

"Because I couldn't feel the sun on my face."

"How about the place he was keeping you and your mom? Anything unusual about it?" His voice was soft and comforting, but despite that the girl started to tear up. 

"I don't know. I was really scared. And I could hear him talking to my mom, she was crying and, and he kept on pulling my hair." Her voice wavered. 

"It's okay, sweetheart." Samantha said brushing her hair back off her face as Gibbs' phone rang. 

"Okay, we're on our way." He looked at Samantha before speaking to Sandy again. "I want you to stay here with Sam and Dr. Mallard. We have to check-"

"I heard. You can see my mom on your computer now. I can hear lots of things other kids can't. Can I help you?" She asked. 

***

The team was back in autopsy where Abby and Tim were keeping the computers cool. Sandy sat beside Ducky with headphones on as the rest of the team glanced at the monitors. 

"I'm enhancing the audio filters now." Abby said, "There's a slight delay in picture."

They all held their breath and watched. 

"But what he doesn't know." The voice said removing Mrs. Watson's blindfold. "Is that if he makes it or not. You're never going home."

Aby muted the speakers and Sam knelt down in front of Sandy, carefully taking the headphones off. "Ready to help?" She asked. 

The little girl nodded and climbed down from the chair. She held Sam's hand as they walked over to Abby at the keyboard. She sat down beside her. "Okay. We're going to play some sounds from the room you were in. It might help you remember better, alright?"

"Can you just play certain hertz if I want you to?" Sandy asked. 

"Sure." Abby said, "How did you know that?"

"From the piano. I know the number of vibrations of every key, like key number 44, E4. that's 329.63 Hertz. A5, is 880. My mom says I'm half bat." She smiled. 

"Well that's cool. I love bats." Abby smiled at her. 

"Me too. I like your voice, Abby. It's kind of gravely."

"Thank you!" Abby said. "Alright, you ready to show off for us?" She asked. 

Sandy nodded and Abby queued up the audio. "There's birds up kinda high." Sandy said. "Try a G7, the 83rd key. That's 3136 Hertz." Sure enough when Abby filtered the sound they heard a flock of birds over the speakers. 

"That is amazing, Sandy." Samantha whispered, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "I'll be right back." She murmured when Gibbs walked into the room. 

The group continued behind them as Gibbs and Sam walked over to the other side of the room. She's incredible. Samantha signed. 

"I want her listening to the live feed." Gibbs said quietly. Samantha nodded, her face showing hesitation. "You sure?" She whispered. 

He nodded, and walked towards the little girl, sitting behind her. "Hey Sandy." He said, running his hand over her hair gently. "I need you to-"

"Listen to the live feed. I want to help my mom, agent Gibbs. I can take it." She said confidently.

Gibbs smiled softly and reached around to place something small in her hand.

"What's this?" She asked. 

"It's your very own NCIS badge." He whispered. "You ready?"

"Yes." He ran his hands over her hair in comfort as Abby started the audio. "Sandy, we need to know anything you can tell us, about where he is keeping your mom."

Samantha came to stand behind Gibbs and placed her hand on his shoulder as they listened. 

"Go to the are of A7, I mean... 4000 Hertz." Sandy said quietly. "Bring it two keys down. I mean, 3800."

"Sounds like a train." Tony said quietly as they heard the low rumbling over the speakers. 

"It's getting closer." Sandy murmured, "It's passing right... Now."

Gibbs checked his watch. "1706." He looked up at the team, "What does is the next train scheduled to arrive at-"

"On it boss." Tony said, hurrying out of the room.

"Can you remember anything else about the train sounds?" Gibbs asked the girl

"We drove over a lot of tracks. My mom, she... She squeezed my hand every time." 

Gibbs reached around to take the girl's hand. "How many times?" He asked, squeezing gently. 

"I don't know, a lot." She said as she started to cry again. "What is he doing to her? Why is she crying?" She asked tearfully. 

Abby immediately cut the sound and Gibbs kissed her hair. "You did great, Sandy." He whispered before standing.

"Are you going to save my mom now?" Sandy asked. 

"Oh yeah, you can count on that." Gibbs said, placing a hand on her head. As he pulled away. Samantha's hand gently fell down his arm. He looked back at her for a moment, but she was already squatting down next to the young girl, pulling her into a hug. 

"Let's roll." Gibbs said, leaving the room. The only people remaining were Abby, Samantha and Sandy. "There gonna find her." Abby whispered. "They're the best."

***

"Hey Sandy." Samantha whispered from her place in the bullpen. "Do you hear that?" She asked. 

The little girl turned, a look of concentration on her face. "The elevator?" 

"Uh huh." Samantha nodded. "Listen very carefully."

The little girl waited a moment and when she heard the bell ring it only took a second before they all heard, "Sandy!" 

"Mom! Dad!" She shouted as her parents ran towards her and lifted her off the ground. Samantha watched as they showered her with kisses. "Everything is going to be alright now, sweetie." Captain Watson said, holding his daughter. "Everything."

The rest of the team exited the elevator and watched the family together, Gibbs came to stand beside Samantha. 

The Captain turned to him, "I don't know how I could ever thank you, agent Gibbs." He said, shaking his hand. "We owe you so much." His wife added. 

"Thank special agent Watson here." Gibbs smiled, tapping the pin on her shirt. "We couldn't have done it without her. Thanks." He added. 

The family headed back into the elevator and Gibbs placed a hand on Sam's back, guiding her to the desks. "We did good today, Gibbs." Kate said as they passed her. 

"Did we, special agent Todd?" He asked. "Grayson doesn't have the smarts, to be in on this alone." He said, glancing at his computer screen. "We still have to find out who hired him." 

"You're not gonna get it from Grayson." Tony said from his desk. "Why not?" Kate asked. "Get him to roll for a deal."  
Tony looked expectantly at Gibbs as the man stood. "I don't deal." He said, before signaling Sam to follow him as he walked away.

***


	19. See No Evil pt.5

Downstairs in autopsy Gibbs sipped on a fresh coffee as Abby and McGee chattered away. "This guy's good, we lost the money for a little while in Hong Kong-"

"But McGee's bots picked it up again on the transfer to Zurich."

"And with Abby's encryption algorithm embedded in the transaction it just-"

"Okay look." Gibbs stopped them. "Could you just- for a sec. Just pretend that I don't know anything about computers?"

"Pretend?" Abby asked, making Samantha chuckle. 

"Can we get this guy or not?" He asked. 

"Well we've been following the money for the last eight hours and if it transfers into a country where we have jurisdic- wait. I don't believe this." McGee said staring at the screen. 

"What?" Gibbs asked, he and Samantha both leaning down to look. 

"It's coming back." Samantha said, following the tracker. 

"Washington D.C." Abby confirmed. 

"You got an address?" Gibbs asked, setting his coffee down on the table. "Sending it to your cell."

"Sam call Tony and Kate, have them-"

"Hell no." Samantha said sternly, checking the ammo in her gun before clipping it back into its holster. "This time I'm coming with you."

***

They walked down the main halls of the Anacostia Bank with Kate and Tony behind them. The civilians around them looking on curiously as they checked the corridors. 

"You've got to be kidding me." Sam murmured as the man walked almost right up to them. Jethro had his weapon in his hand in a second. Holding it up to the man's chest. "Captain Watson." He greeted with a cold voice. 

The man looked up is shock. "Agent Gibbs." He said, after a beat. "It's not what you think."

"You're right. It wasn't" He agreed. 

Tony stepped forward and took the large cases from the man's hands, pulling his wrists behind his back and cuffing him. "You did this to your own family?" Kate asked in disgust. 

"No, no one was supposed to get hurt."

He grunted in pain when Tony tightened the cuffs. "That tight enough for you, Captain?" He asked innocently. 

"I can't believe this is happening! It was the perfect plan." He said, looking Gibbs straight in the eye. "Even Grayson didn't know who hired him. How in the hell did you figure this out?"

"Next time." Kate smiled, "You might want to send your note to the FBI."

"Look you gotta understand, I needed the money because-" Gibbs didn't give him another second. He grabbed the man by the jacket roughly and threw him up against the wall. Tony took a step forward to stop his boss, but Samantha held a hand out in front of him. 

"Don't you dare tell me there's a reason for you throwing away... What you had." He spat in the man's face. The man opened his mouth again to speak, but after a moment kept it closed. 

***

The team stood back in the bullpen packing up their things when McGee approached their desks. "The system is up and operational now so... I'll be heading back to Norfolk." 

Tony eyeballed the man and loudly loaded his weapon, taking satisfaction in the solid click it made. "I'll take that as a thank you." Tim muttered. 

"McGee." Gibbs said, appearing in front of him. "Where are you going?"

"Um... Norfolk." He answered. 

"Well I've got some good news and some bad news." Gibbs started, walking around him. "You've just been officially promoted. To a full time field agent." He said handing him the yellow folder. 

Samantha smiled at the shocked look on the young man's face. "Really?" He asked. "Well- that's incredible what is-"

"You belong to me now." Gibbs ended, heading down the hall. 

"Congratulations!" Samantha said happily, following Gibbs out. She caught up to him at the elevator. "Oh they're gonna haze him." She said teasingly. 

They heard a loud thunk from the ceiling above them and the air conditioning finally started to flow through the room. The elevator doors closed on the loud cheering from the agents at their desks

***

Later that evening at home, Samantha threw her backpack onto the couch and followed Gibbs to the kitchen. "Dinner?" She asked, opening the fridge. 

"I've got it." Gibbs said, reaching around her and pulling out a beer before placing it in her hands. "Really?" She asked. He nodded as he pulled out a pot and a box of pasta from the shelf. 

"Okay. I'm going to take a shower." She said, placing a hand on his arm before heading up the stairs. 

Fifteen minutes later Samantha came back downstairs in fluffy pajama pants and an ARMY hoodie to find Jethro setting their food at the coffee table. 

"This is different." Samantha said, watching him. He had changed as well and was wearing sweats and a long-sleeved shirt that was well worn. 

"Yeah I figured we could use something a bit more comfortable after today." He said, turning to fiddle with the knobs on the TV He found a station playing an old film noir and turned to her. "This okay?" 

She nodded, taking a seat on the couch and folding a leg under her. "Laura. It's a good movie. Have you seen it?"

"Nope." Gibbs said, taking a seat and handing her a bowl of pasta before taking his own and leaning back to make himself comfortable. 

"You had a rough day." He said pointedly after they each started eating. "We both did." She shrugged. 

Gibbs shook his head, "No, I mean earlier today. At breakfast, and then the rest of the day." 

"It's okay." She said, knowing his stringent apology theory. "You had a right to ask." 

"I meant more along the lines of, 'are you okay'?" He asked softly. 

"Yeah. I've more or less put myself back together. We always wanted a family, you know?" She said looking down at her ring. "And then this asshole comes along and-"

"Ruins your faith in humanity?" He interrupted. 

"Puts his family in the cross hairs." She corrected. "But yes, that too." 

"That little girl is too good for him." He said, staring blankly at the movie that played in the background. 

"Makes you miss her, doesn't it?" Samantha asked with a soft smile.

"Oh yeah. Everyday." Gibbs said looking back at her. "But like you said. You put yourself back together." He put his empty bowl on the coffee table and leaned back, putting his feet up. After a few minutes, Sam put hers away too. She reached around and grabbed the blanket that hung over the back of the couch, draping it over her legs. 

Without even looking, Jethro lifted his arm onto the back of the couch creating a little space for her at his side. She scooted over and nestled herself in as his arm wrapped around her. "For the record." She sighed as she laid her head against his shoulder. "I liked the marine look on you. The sleek hair suits you." He chuckled as they relaxed and watched the rest of the movie in a comfortable silence. 

***


	20. The Good Wives' Club Pt. 1

"Jethro?" Samantha called out as she placed her mug in the sink. She reached for the blazer that completed her dress uniform and pulled it on. 

A few moments later and the man's head popped out from the basement doorway. "What's all the noise for, Sam?" He asked, raising his eyebrows at her dress uniform. "Or should I say ma'am?" 

"You know better." She said rolling her eyes at his obviously wandering ones. "I have an early meeting on the hill and then I'll be at NCIS for 10. Try not to get into too much trouble before then." She added, grabbing her backpack and chucking it over her shoulder.

"And by too much trouble you mean?" 

"Nothing Dinozzo wouldn't do." She explained with a smile, before leaning over to place a kiss on his cheek. "There's breakfast on the table. I've got to go."

She turned without another word and headed for the door, closing it behind her. Jethro stepped into the living room to watch as she climbed into her car and drove off before inspecting the plate of pancakes she had left him on the table. He pulled out a chair and reached for the bottle of maple syrup waiting nearby, pouring a generous amount on the pile.

***

Samantha walked out of the elevator and straight into Abby's lab, where she heard the tones of the woman's music playing from the speakers. 

"Abbigail Scuitto!" She called out. 

"Samantha Buckley!" She heard the reply call out as the woman in question rounded the corner towards her. "Hello Colonel." She smirked at the sight of Sam's dress blues. 

Samantha rolled her eyes, "Yes, yes, I know. That's why I'm here. I was hoping to trade this-" She said holding up a bright red caf-pow in her hand, "For a change room of sorts.". 

Abby smiled at the sight and reached out for the drink. "Happy to oblige. You can use the back room. No one should be walking in anyway, they're out in the field." 

"They got a case?" Sam asked heading towards the back with Abby behind her. 

"Yeah they should be back in a while." The woman said, heading over to her desk and sitting behind the computer. She tapped a few keys and lifted her head thoughtfully. "So what's it like living with Gibbs?" She asked. 

Samantha laughed from behind the door as she changed into her greens. "What kind of an answer are you looking for, Abs?" 

"I don't know... What colour is his toothbrush?" 

Samantha smiled as she stepped back into the office and sat down next to Abby, lacing up her boots. "We don't share a bathroom."

"Hmmm..." Abby said with a frown as she thought of another question, the pencil in her hand bobbing between her fingers. "What kind of underwear does he wear?" 

"Yeah, I'm not answering that." Samantha laughed, sitting straight up. 

"Why not?" Abby asked, laughing with her. 

"For the same reason I wouldn't tell Tony what I'm wearing." She said, smiling. 

"Well, I know what you're wearing." Abby teased, "Nice tattoo by the way. Didn't know you had one."

"Oh." Samantha said, the mirth on her face fading away. 

"I'm sorry." Abby immediately stated, backtracking. "I didn't realize it was something to hide. It's okay if it is." 

"I don't hide it." Samantha said softly. "It's just..."

"Private." Abby finished. "I understand."

Samantha smiled at the woman and placed her hand over hers. "Thanks, abs."

They sat there for a moment when the computer dinged. Abby glanced at the screen. "Looks like they're on their way back."

***

"Hey Sam, hand me those goggles, would you?" Aby asked as she turned out the overhead lights in her lab. Samantha handed her a pair of glasses and put her own over her eyes as the woman began running a black light over the fabric of the wedding dress. 

The automatic doors behind them dinged and Gibbs walked in holding a large caf-pow for Abby. 

"Oh", he said, placing a hand on Sam's back as he passed her, "I didn't realize you were down back already." He apologized, handing Abby her drink. 

"It's alright." 

"What are you doing down here?" He asked as Abby happily watched them, drinking the bright red sugary liquid. 

"Helping out Abby today. You all were out so I figured I would make myself useful. We've been brought up to speed." She said, gesturing to the young woman. 

Gibbs turned to her and asked, "Well what do ya got, Abs?"

"What don't I got, Gibbs." She gestured to the table covered with items. "Clothing fibers, carpet fibers, dust, beetle parts, soiled bedding, there's even a pamphlet called 'The Good Wife's Guide'. What's up with that?"

"Ask McGee." Gibbs replied. 

"Really?" Both Abby and Samantha asked at the same time. Gibbs narrowed his eyes at Sam's teasing interested voice and turned back to the young woman. 

"The dress, Abby."

"Well as you can imagine, it's not exactly virginal. It was made in 1952, she'd been wearing it for months before she died. And I'm running a DNA sample as we..." She reached out her hand and signed 'speak' towards him. 

Gibbs smiled, "Prints?" 

Samantha spoke up, "They were all over the room. Abby was able to work her magic and get a match to our 'Mrs. Mummy.'."

"Only prints in the room were hers?"

"Yeah, I'm afraid so, Abby found traces of cleanser on the furniture."

"He's cautious." Gibbs said, looking at her. 

"Yeah so am I when I chain guys up." Both Samantha and Gibbs turned their heads towards her with smirks on their faces. 

"Thanks, Abs. Can I take her back upstairs now?" He asked pointing to Sam. 

"Only if she follows the rules of a dutiful wife." Abby teased. 

Gibbs tilted his glance towards Samantha and raised an eyebrow in silent question as she scoffed, "Yeah, you wish." She said, walking past him and out into the hall. 

Jethro followed her into the elevator with a smirk on his face as he stood next to her. 

***


	21. The Good Wives' Club pt.2

"Hey Gibbs, we got a hit on our victim's prints. She's Caroline Figgis, Petty Officer 3rd class, 22. She went missing 19 months ago." Kate said as he sat behind his desk. 

"I pulled the file, boss. It was a Pacci case, didn't have much. She left for work one morning and poof- gone. No witnesses, the case went cold." Tony handed Samantha the file and she started flipping through the pages. 

"Yeah well, it just got hot again." Gibbs sighed and looked up at McGee. "Ducky estimates she's been dead a year." The man told them. "That means she was in the bunker six months before she died."

"Rules out the last tenants." Tony added. 

"Kate." Gibbs said holding up a photo of the victim. "Tell me about her killer."

"The basic pathology says he was probably abused as a child. Dad beating on mom, one or both beating on him- who knows. "

"He's trying to create the perfect relationship." Sam added. "That's right. Control is the name of the game."

"This one didn't live up to his expectations." Tony added. 

"How was I sure you'd understand that part?" Kate asked sarcastically. 

"So." Sam intervened before the two could start squabbling, "Cut off her air supply, left her in an air-tight chamber to die. Moved on."

"Yeah, that's the problem," Kate said, "This kind of pathology is driven. He's not going to stop until he finds the perfect one."

"He's playing house with somebody else out there." Gibbs finished. 

***

"Oh this is terrifying." Samantha said as she and Gibbs walked into the evidence garage a few hours later. Kate had recreated the crime scene using all of the original items from the bunker. Jethro looked around, "Something's off." He said.

Kate looked over at him, "Gibbs, I recreated it from Dinozzo's photos."

Jethro smiled and continued to look at her without a word. "Gibbs, everything in here was ALS'd all pertinent evidence was sent down to Abby for analysis and then I rebuilt it from the photos." She smiled, gesturing to the prints in her hands. 

Samantha watched with raised eyebrows as Gibbs still continued to stare at her. "This room. And everything in it, was exactly as it was when we found it." She said, exasperated as she held up the photo for him to see. 

He glanced down at the photo she held before walking past her to the bedside table and squatted down in front of it. Kate sighed and glanced over at Samantha as they watched Gibbs slide the lamp two inches over to the right and turn back to them with a satisfied look on his face. Samantha chuckled at her expression and held up her hands. "Don't look at me. I wasn't there this morning."

Gibbs continued to walk around the room. "What is with his 50's thing?" He asked. "The 50's represent an idealized time when the rules between men and women were simpler." Kate explained. 

"So this was an older guy?" Samantha asked, looking around. 

"Actually I think he was younger." Kate countered, "As Tony said, a lot of the stuff in here is authentic 50's but a lot of it isn't. Some is 60's, some are reproductions but it isn't pure."

"Couldn't get his hands on the real deal." Gibbs observed. 

"Then it wouldn't have mattered." Sam added. 

"Exactly. I think he put this together based on an idealized fantasy rather than the remembrance of an ideal experience." Kate said gesturing to the room. 

"So, someone who grew up with it would be more 'pure'." Gibbs asked. 

"Yeah, I think he'd want to be as close to what he actually remembered as possible. Besides, he didn't seem to have a problem with just picking up and leaving everything behind."

"How do we know that maybe he didn't have to leave?" Samantha asked.

"A transfer? That's possible. Ducky also said that her wedding ring was removed." Gibbs said. 

"Well It would make sense that that's the only thing he keeps from one bride to the next." Kate said. "You know, It might help if I could observe a re-enactment of the victim's life inside the chamber."

"Put someone in a wedding dress." Gibbs said. 

"Tony would look cute." Kate smiled, 

"Nope, off interviewing the victim's parents. 

"McGee then."

"Noooo. He's with Tony."

"Abby?"

"Up to her tats in forensic tests." Gibbs said, walking away. 

Kate smiled. "What about you?" She called. 

Jethro stopped, and backtracked his steps to look at her. "You won't have to wear the dress." She added. 

"Wouldn't fit me anyway." He said, looking over at Samantha with a grin. She shook her head. "Oh no. Absolutely not."

He reached over and grabbed her wrist gently, pulling her over to the bed and attaching the cuff to her arm. "Kate needs to observe. Do it for the case." He teased. 

"Clearly Abby put some ideas in your head." She said looking up at him. "No comment." He smiled and stepped back away from her. 

"Okay." Sam sighed and looked around her taking a few steps to her right. "She can make it to the toilet." She kept going trying to stretch her arm as far as it would go. "But She couldn't get to the threshold of the tunnel." 

"I can imagine what she went through. How many months did she suffer before she gave up and realized she was never going to be found?" Kate said out loud. "That no one was ever going to hear her screams. Nothing to do but sit and stare at her own reflection."

Samantha crossed the room to sit at the vanity table and Jethro followed behind her looking down at the carpet.

"Mm."

"What?" She asked looking behind her. 

"The rug." He said, kneeling down beside her. "These spots."

"Someone was standing there over and over again." Kate said, looking around them. 

"Patterns wrong. It's not from a shoe or foot. It's too round." Gibbs said, following the indentation with his fingers. " She wasn't standing, she was kneeling."

Samantha left the seat to kneel before the bed, placing her knees on the spots on the rug. "Enough to permanently wear an indentation in the carpet." Samantha mumbled. They looked at each other from their spot on the floor. "Praying" They said at once. 

***


	22. The Good Wives' Club pt.3

"Our nasty little critter could have called any one of three Navy bases home." Tony said pointing to the screen in the bullpen. "Jacksonville Naval Air Station, or Mayport Naval Air station in Florida. Naval Submarine Base, Kingsbay, Georgia." 

"We have a piece of a beetle that shouldn't be there, it doesn't mean that our guy is there now." Kate countered. 

"Didn't say it did." Gibbs said from his desk. 

"Kate's right, boss. I mean, he could have just been there on vacation, who knows."

"Could have been." Gibbs agreed. 

"Except no body is missing from Norfolk. Somebody is from Jacksonville." McGee said, typing on his computer. "And she fits the profile. NCIS agent Jane Malynkavich forwarded a missing person's report she filed on a female petty officer. Barbara Swain, Petty Officer 2nd Class at Jacksonville. She's been missing for almost four months. "

Kate studied the file on the screen. "She close in age to Figgis. Same look."

"Same deal, too. Disappeared of the face of the Earth. Never made it to work." Tim added. "No witnesses, no clues, case went dead."

"Get us on the first flight to Jacksonville and tell Agent Malynkavich we think her Petty Officer may still be alive on base." 

"On it boss." Tony said, picking up his phone. 

"It's pretty thin, Gibbs." Kate said, "It's all we've got, Kate." 

"I'll continue to work it from here with Abby." Samantha said as she followed Jethro into the hallway. "You don't want to come to Florida?" He asked, hitting the button for the elevator. 

"Only if you can promise me some tanning time after we catch this guy." Sam teased. 

***

"What did you find?" Samantha said, turning her phone to speaker, "A Petty Officer in his grow house." Gibbs growled on the other end. "Tell me you got something." 

"We've been going over everything. Other than the prints, nothing in the underground chamber is really giving us anything. Abby analysed the fibers, they indicate a cheap, nylon product available anywhere. She says that the dust only shows how crappy this guy was at cleaning up. Abby just got the clothes fibers back, here you go-" She said sliding the phone over to the scientist. 

"Hey guys, the clothes fibers came back as white cotton, those are most likely socks. And apparently purple silk is the other. " She said, reading off the sheet in front of her, "Not sure what that's about. Maybe a scarf, or an ascot kind of thing?" 

"How many guys wear ascots now a days?" Kate asked. 

"I have." Tony said, chewing on the nuts in his hand.

"You would." Kate scoffed. 

"Okay, thanks, Abs." Gibbs said. 

"Oh anything for you, wonderful wizard. By the way- Tony." She said pointing at the screen. "I need it back, when you're done." She said before hanging up. 

"What was that about?" Samantha asked, clipping the phone back to her belt. 

"Oh you really don't want to know." Abby smiled. "Hey I've got a few more tests to get through, do you want to order some food?" 

"Sure, what do you feel like?" 

***

An hour later, Abby and Samantha sat at her desk eating their food as Samantha flipped through the report results. The phone rang again and Abby leaned forward to hit the speaker button.

"Hey guys, got anything else for us?" She asked. 

"Yeah Abs, guy's dead." Tony said, "We're sending you some of his personal effects from his apartment, the guy was an amateur photographer of his... Wives." 

"Gruesome." Abby said, "Have McGee send me the files and I'll get on it."

"Tony." Samantha said, "How'd he die?"

"Blew his brains out when Kate and Gibbs got there." 

The women both looked at each other in surprise at that.

"I'll get the files over to you ASAP, Abs." He said before hanging up. 

***

"Hey guys, I've got Abby for you with the photos." Sam said as she queued up the video footage.

"Some of these prints were enlarged from the negatives, I think you'll find this one very interesting. Okay, this is Petty Officer Swaine's photo from the album. Now look at the full negative." She said, changing the image on the screen. 

"There's more visible now around the background behind the bed. And there's a sort of door to the left. "

"Abs, can you blow that up? Lighten it?"

"Oh yeah." Abby said, turning towards her keyboard, after fiddling with it she turned back to the camera as the image cleared up. "It's a riveted door frame."

"You've got yourselves an ammo bunker." Samantha added. 

"Thanks guys, good work, Abs." Gibbs said, ending the call. 

"Think it's enough?" Abby asked her. 

"Yeah, they've got it."

***

"How's Dinozzo?" Samantha asked as they sat across from each other at the dinner table. 

"Got a pretty good bump on the head, but he'll survive." Jethro smiled, reaching for his beer. 

Samantha chuckled, "He always seems to be letting his guard down when he's around damsels in distress. Of this case... Under duress."

"Cute." Gibbs smirked. 

"Just trying to keep my man entertained when he comes home from a long hard day at work." She teased. 

"So much so that I cooked these steaks." He said, shoving another bite into his mouth. 

"You betcha, baby." She laughed, leaning back in her chair. "I guess according to the handbook our roommate situation is pretty much the same as a 50's marriage. Separate beds, the only reason you wanted me here is cause I can cook, anyway."

Gibbs winced, "That's not the only reason."

"Oh yeah?" She smirked, "What else you got."

"I like having you around." He shrugged, "Missed ya." 

Samantha smiled and reached her bottle across to his, tapping the glass together. "Cheers to that." 

They both took a swing and continued with their meal until Jethro spoke up. "Only thing we don't get out of the deal is the sex." He teased, smiling at Samantha's outburst of laughter. He did like hearing that sound again.


	23. Vanished pt.1

Gibbs rolled over onto his side for what felt like the hundredth time. He glanced up at his alarm clock and sighed heavily. "Sleep is just not happening tonight." He mumbled to himself as he sat up against his headboard. He rubbed a hand over his eyes and stared out the window at the still black sky. Might as well go work on the boat. 

He stood up and reached for a hoodie that was thrown across the chair beside his bed. Pulling it on over his head, he quietly opened the door and headed out into the hall. He headed down the stairs and saw Samantha in the living room, a cup of hot tea in her hands. She looked over at him from her spot on the couch as he walked towards her. 

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked, sitting beside her. He turned to face her and noticed the leftover tears streaked across her cheeks. "Hey." He whispered, pulling the blanket tighter around her before gently swiping his thumb over her face. "You okay?" He asked. He took the mug from her hands and placed it on the table.

Samantha nodded and swiped at her face, wiping away the rest of the tears. "Did I wake you?" She asked quietly, not meeting his eyes. 

"No." He looked at her for a long moment before tucking a finger under her chin to raise her face to his. "What's going on?" He asked gently. 

She shook her head again. "It's just a bad day." She said quietly. He nodded, reaching out and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "David?" He asked. 

"No. Not him." She whispered, her voice faltering slightly. 

"You don't have to explain." He said, leaning towards her and placing a soft kiss on her head. He pulled her into his side and leaned into the couch. Samantha wrapped her free arm around his middle and held on tight until he could feel her fall asleep next to him. 

Jethro looked down at her face, finally calm and relaxed in what he hoped was a dreamless sleep. He let out a sigh and closed his eyes, the warmth of her body eventually pulling him to his own slumber. 

A few hours later Gibbs woke to the alarm on his cell phone, he quickly reached out and silenced the ringing before It woke Samantha who was still tucked under his arm. He winced when he felt her stir against him despite his efforts. 

She lifted her head and looked up at him, a little rumpled but more rested than before. "We fell asleep." She murmured. "What time is it?"

He reached up and glanced at his watch. "Six."

Samantha suddenly pulled away from him and shivered at the cold air, pulling the blanket tighter around her. He felt slightly disappointed at the loss of contact, but brushed it off, reaching for the mug of now very cold tea. "Go for a hot shower." He said, heading for the kitchen, "I'll make some coffee."

She sat on the couch for another moment, watching him walk away. Guilt washed over her as her memories from earlier flooded back. She was so busy enjoying his embrace, his warmth. She had forgotten. She let out the breath she had been holding and stood up, heading upstairs and into the shower. 

***

She came back downstairs a while later in her uniform, slick bun tied back at the nape of her neck. She quietly stepped down onto the main floor and looked around. When she didn't see anyone she breathed a sigh of relief and headed to the kitchen, following the smell of the coffee pot. She poured a cup into her travel thermos and placed the lid on top, picking up her bag. 

She took a moment to sip at the hot liquid and sighed calmly at the relaxing feeling it brought her. A warm hand touched her rib cage and she jumped back in surprise. 

"Hey." Jethro smiled and reached around her for his own mug. "Just me." He said softly. Samantha purposefully stepped away from his touch and looked away. "I'm...um...I'm heading in early so I'll see you later." She said backing out of the kitchen and turning away from him. She had to get away from those blue eyes.

"Sam?" Jethro said, reaching back out to her to stop her. 

"I'll see you later." Samantha repeated, distancing herself further from him and closing the front door behind her. 

Jethro stared for a moment at the empty room before glancing out the window long enough to watch her pull away from the driveway. What the hell did he do?

***

She stepped out of her meeting and checked her phone. She had missed a text from Gibbs. Opening the message she read, 'Call me when you get the chance.'. She was about to reply when the device rang in her hand, the same name on the caller ID. 

She lifted it to her ear. "Hey."

"Hey." The voice on the other end was softer than normal, he must have stepped away somewhere private to make the call. 

"I tried calling you." He started.

"I was in a meeting, just ended. My ringer was off." She explained, heading down the hall towards the front entrance. 

"Ah." There was silence for a while on the other end as she stepped outside and was hit by the warm D.C. sunshine. 

"I...uh...I wanted to check on you." He said, rolling his eyes at how pathetic that sounded. He was not good at this. 

"I'm okay." She said, a soft smile on her lips. 

He nodded, despite knowing she couldn't see him. "You uh... You left pretty suddenly this morning." He said quietly. "I hope I didn't do anything..."

"No." Samantha said, cutting him off. "No. It wasn't you." 

'You liar', a little voice in the back of her head whispered. 

"I just... I needed some space." She added.

"Okay. Well we caught a case."

"Yeah?" 

"Yeah, In West Virginia. Don't know when I'll be back, so... plenty of space." 

She chuckled, and it brought an immediate smile to his face to hear. "Okay."

"Okay." He repeated. 

She chewed on her lip for a moment, staring off into the distance. "Be safe." She added finally. 

"I will." 

Samantha snapped her phone closed and let out a heavy breath. "Okay." She murmured to herself before turning on her heels and heading back inside.

***


	24. Vanished pt.2

When she walked through the door hours later she was somewhat relieved to see that Jethro's truck wasn't parked outside. She headed to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine from the bottle she kept on the shelf. She took a quick sip and placed it on the table before heading upstairs. 

She was in the middle of changing into a comfy hoodie when she caught her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes passed over her faded scars and the few stretch marks that glided across the side of her stomach. As she turned to the side she reached out and traced the simple calligraphy that was etched across her ribcage. 'Calleigh' 

After a moment she covered herself back up and reached into her bedside table, retrieving a small brown box from inside. She tucked it under her arm and went back downstairs. She grabbed the wine glass and the thick blanket she had used earlier that morning and wandered to the back door. 

There was a small patio and two wooden chairs that he assumed Jethro had built at some point. She walked past them and out onto the green grass, spreading the blanket out onto the ground. Glass in hand, she placed the box in front of her and sat cross-legged, taking a moment to just breath the fresh air and relax under the warm sun. 

***

It was close to midnight when Jethro arrived back home, one glance at the window told him the lights were out. She's probably already asleep, he told himself, trying to be quiet as he opened the door. He climbed the stairs and ditched his suit jacket, opting for sweats. He was about to shut the curtains and climb into bed when he noticed the figure sprawled out in the backyard. He watched her for a moment, laying flat on her back, the blanket wrapped around her now in the cool night air. She did say she needed space. 

He fought with himself for a moment before grabbing one of the blankets off his bed and heading back downstairs. She heard him open the back door and walk towards her. He pulled open the blanket so he could lay down beside her and threw the other one over top of them both. "Stargazing?" He asked, making himself comfortable. 

"Remembering." She answered looking up at him. She felt him tense beside her and a look of embarrassment flashed over his features. "Damnit." He murmured and cleared his throat. "I can go back inside-"

"No." Samantha said, grabbing his hand and lacing their fingers together. "I've been distant enough for one day." She said. "I'm sorry about that."

"Don't apologi-"

"I'm doing it anyway." She cut him off with a small smile. 

Jethro looked at her for a long moment and nodded, turning his head to look up at the sky again. "Okay."

"You closed the case?" She asked him, not quite ready to talk yet. 

She watched him smile. "Yeah, it all turned out alright. You should talk to Abby about it later, there was a Helo in a crop circle. She'll talk your ear off for hours."

She chuckled, "I bet."

They laid there on the soft grass for a while, the silence growing to loud between them. "Did you eat?" Samantha asked, wincing at the bad attempt at small talk.

"Are you gonna stop worrying about me?" Jethro asked looking down at her. His bright blue eyes shining out even in the dark. 

"Probably not." Sam said quietly. She took in a large breath and let it out slowly, her hand tightening around his. 

"Does anyone else... anyone at NCIS... do they know, about Kelly, or Shannon?" She asked carefully. 

She expected some kind of reaction, but didn't get it. Jethro just turned his face back towards her and whispered. "No."

"No one?" She asked. 

He shook his head slightly, his eyes never leaving hers. "Just you." 

She nodded, tearing her gaze away from his. He watched as she let out another breath and let go of her hold on his hand. She sat up and reached out for the small wooden box, placing it between them. 

Jethro immediately sat up and faced her. He placed his hands over hers on the box and brought his face close to her level, forcing her to look at him. "You don't have to do this."

She looked back at him for a long moment. "I need to." She whispered. Eventually he nodded, removing his grip on her and sat back giving her more room. 

She slowly opened to box, the lid rested half way blocking his view of the contents. Samantha glanced down and picked up a photograph from the top, smiling at it. "This is David." She said, handing him the print. "We met in Somalia we were good friends but never anything more. Until we were stationed again in Rwanda, in '94. We came up with the crazy idea that that was enough of a sign for us and we got married once we were stateside."

Jethro took the photo and smiled at the laughing, happy couple. She had that same beauty she did now, just a few years younger. "That's pretty impulsive, especially for you." He teased. 

"Said the man with 3 ex wives." Samantha smiled back. 

"It was crazy, and we knew it. But it was perfect." She said taking back the image and running a finger over the worn edges. "We settled down, took desk jobs. Started trying for a family." Her face faltered on that last sentence and she placed the photo to the side. "Well that part wasn't perfect." She said clearing her throat. 

"I had two mid-term miscarriages in two years." She said, still staring down into the box. "Until one day, my doctor calls me and tells me that my blood test shows I am 5 months along." She said, a small smile back on her face. "Five months and we had no idea."

"David was over the moon. He was so excited, he wouldn't let me do anything. Wanted to be as careful as possible. Make sure nothing went wrong." She said, pulling out the next photo. "I came home one day and he had done the whole nursery in a matter of hours. Everything put together, everything was baby-proofed. He was pretty proud of himself." She said, handing him the image. 

Jethro chuckled at the sight of the man, arms open wide, showing off the well decorated space with a large crib behind him. "Good man." He said. 

"Yes he was." 

"Everything happens so fast when you've got a little person growing inside of you." She said, taking the photo back, "One minute you're finding out and the next you're the size of a minivan." She laughed. She pulled out another picture. "A whopping, 9 months pregnant." She said turning it around to show him. 

The image was of just Samantha this time, her hair pulled back in a messy bun, a tight leggings and t-shirt showing just how large her belly was. She looked tired and uncomfortable but happy. Jethro smiled at the image, remembering a very similar look on Shannon's face many years ago. 

She set the photo aside and look a deep breath. Picking up the next one with shaking fingers. "And this is our daughter." She said, handing it to him. "Calleigh." 

He looked down at the little bundle wrapped up in her mother's arms. It made his heart bunch up in his chest. The sight of Samantha holding her daughter. Her hair sticking to her sweaty temples and tears glistening on her cheeks. But the little girl, reaching out with tiny fingers to touch her warm skin had a soft smile on her features that he couldn't help but smile at.

"She's beautiful, Sam." He said quietly. The woman nodded, wiping away a few stray tears that fell onto her cheeks. "She... Uh..." She cleared her throat again. "She was gone about an hour later." She whispered. 

Jethro looked up at her sharply. He was not expecting that. "Sam..." 

She finally looked up at him again and nodded, her eyes wet with tears. "I only got to hold her in my arms for about 30 minutes before she crashed. I though I had done everything right, I thought this time-"

Jethro set the photo and the box to the side before pulling her into him. Wrapping her in his arms fiercely. He felt every ounce of her pain as she held on to him. He closed his eyes as images of his own daughter flashed through his mind. He tried to imagine never getting the chance to make those memories with her and he held on to Samantha tighter. 

He pressed his lips to her temple as her body shook in his arms. "I know." He whispered gently. 

His gaze wandered to the photo again, his brain registering the date stamped into the corner of the image. Today was her birthday. 

***

They sat there in the darkness until Samantha stopped crying. Jethro pulled away from her carefully and saw that she was close to falling asleep. Exhaustion had drained her completely. He slipped one arm under her legs and pulled her to his chest, standing. "Come on." He whispered. 

He carried her back inside the warm house and up the stairs, placing her on top of her bed. "I'll be right back." He said softly, running his hand over her hair.

He went back outside and quickly gathered up her photos before placing them back in the box. As he reached for the lid he saw a smaller image taped there. Her wedding photo. Bringing it up to his eyeline he felt a slight pang of jealousy. Samantha was beautiful. Simple white dress, hair pulled back. But the man facing her did him in. David was looking at her as if she was his everything in the world. 

Swallowing that feeling, Jethro placed that photo back inside and closed the lid. "I'll take care of her now." He promised. 

***


	25. L.T. Jane Doe pt.1

Jethro headed down the stairs to an empty floor. Looking around he called out, "Sam?". Not getting an answer he headed to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. 

Sipping from the mug he pulled his phone off his belt and checked for any messages from her. Nothing. He frowned at the screen and walked out into the living room. He was about to settle onto the couch to read the paper when he noticed a note stuck to the front door. 

He walked towards the door and smirked at her handwritten scrawl.

'Had to head in early to the shipping company, more boxes came in. If you're free for lunch let me know. S.'

He crumpled the piece of paper into his pocket and grabbed his truck keys before heading out the door.

***

The morning passed with very little excitement. The team had spent most of the first part of the day going over paperwork and filing case reports. Kate and Tony had allowed the quiet morning to get the best of them and after an hour of hearing their ongoing squabbles Gibbs was very restless. 

At around 11:30, Jethro checked his watch before pulling out his cell phone and hitting the speed dial. 

"Hello?"

"Just how many more boxes are we talking about?" He asked playfully, turning his chair away from the others who were already oblivious to their surroundings. 

Samantha chuckled on the other end. "Less than it would take to fill your truck." She assured him. "You free for lunch?"

"Oh you have no idea." He sighed, glancing at the other two agents out of the corner of his eye. Tony was balling up small pieces of paper and aiming them at Kate's head. 

"Hey!" Gibbs yelled, just as the man was about to lob another one at his partner. "Go. Get lost. Both of you." Tony's eyes went wide and glanced over at Kate.

"Lunch?" He asked. "Lunch." She replied. They quickly grabbed their coats and scrambled towards the elevator. 

"You close by?" Jethro asked, opening the drawer to retrieve his keys. 

"You betcha. I'll be there in five."

***

They picked a booth at the end of the diner, a little further away from the other patrons seated for lunch. 

"Gibbs- I'll be right with you, darlin." Eileen said from behind the register. 

They sat down opposite each other and shrugged off their jackets. "Ah, Samantha. Honey it's nice to see you." Eileen said, joining them at their table. 

"Oh you too." Samantha smiled back at her. 

"No uniform today?" The woman asked. 

"Took the day off." Sam explained, "Still getting things sorted out."

"Of course. Of course. Now Jethro, doesn't she look just lovely out of uniform?" Eileen teased. 

"All the time, Eileen. Just like you." He teased back. 

Samantha smiled as the woman visibly blushed and laughed. "There he is, the man after my heart. Alright, enough foreplay. What can I get you two?"

After a few minutes they were alone again, a fresh cup of coffee for each of them while they waited.

"So. What brought this on?" Gibbs asked, taking a sip from his mug. 

"What do you mean?" Samantha asked. 

"Lunch." 

"It's not like you minded. From the sound of the background noise I was hearing, you couldn't wait to get out of the office." Samantha chuckled. 

Jethro smiled back at her, "No surprise there. When it's a slow morning Kate and Tony revert back to being toddlers." 

"I gathered as much. Plus I didn't feel like cooking and... I wanted to thank you." She said, looking up at him.

She watched as his eyebrows scrunched together, "For what?" 

It was that moment that Eileen came bustling bye with their food. "Here we go." She said setting down the cutlery. "One loaded burger, medium rare. And the gourmet grilled cheese. Is there anything else I can get for you?" 

"No, thank you." Samantha said, sending a smile her way. 

"Alright, enjoy." Her eyes followed her as the woman walked away before settling back on Jethro's eyes. His gaze had never faltered from her face. 

She reached for her mug but Gibbs placed his larger hand over hers, stopping her. "For what?" He asked again. 

She paused for a moment, enjoying the feeling of his warm hand over hers. "For...everything really." She smiled. "You let me back into your life, literally into your home." 

He chuckled and his thumb began a rather intimate caress of the inside of her wrist. 

"You've just made everything so... easy. Even when I do that gross woman thing where I break down and ugly cry in front of you." She smiled, trying to ease the tension. 

"I just wanted you to know that I appreciate it. All of it." 

He smiled across from her. That soft, barely there smile that warmed his features and reminded her of what he used to look like all those years ago. 

"It's not pity, you know." He said sincerely, before reaching over and stealing one of her fries. 

"I do know that." 

***

You want to come in?" He asked when she pulled up to the building. "It's not like we're doing anything anyway." 

Samantha smirked and climbed out of the driver's side. "Don't let the Director hear you saying that." She smiled, "I'll come say goodbye to Ducky before he leaves." 

They entered the bullpen as the other two agents were still arguing at their desks. "With all the bad karma that you've built up with women alone, I'm surprised something hasn't just fallen off." Kate said with a smirk. 

Samantha chuckled as Tony visibly looked down to verify his anatomy was indeed, all there. 

"Missing something, Dinozzo?" Gibbs asked as he walked towards his desk. The phone rang and he answered it. "Yeah it's Gibbs." He said, winking at Samantha. 

"We've got a body at Norfolk. Get Ducky."

"Well that's my cue. I'll leave you to it." Sam said reaching for her keys. 

"You can come with us." Gibbs offered, scribbling down the information he needed onto a sheet of paper.

"No that's okay. I've got these boxes to take home and unpack. But if you need anything, call. Give my best to Ducky." 

"I'll walk you down." Gibbs said, following her. 

"Hey, do you believe in karma, boss?" Tony asked quickly. 

"I've had three wives, Dinozzo." He smirked over his shoulder, making Samantha laugh.

They stepped into the elevator and let the doors close behind them. "You're going to have a fun day aren't you?" She chuckled. 

"You wanna work the case?" He asked turning to her. 

"Well I'm not exactly dressed." She said gesturing to her relaxed jeans and sweater she chose that morning. 

"Go home, change. Meet us back here after we've processed the crime scene." He suggested as they left the building and walked into the parking lot. "Unless you have other plans. It is your day off."

"I just have a few things to take care of first, and then I'll come back. You sure you want to add another person?" 

"Oh trust me." He said as they neared her vehicle. "I'm going to need all the intelligence I can get to offset those two." He said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder to where Tony and Kate were arguing while McGee loaded the equipment into the truck. 

She glanced at them and chuckled, unlocking the door. "Okay, I'll be back in a bit." 

"See you later. I'll keep you up to date." He said, pushing the door closed behind her and walking back to his trio. 

***


	26. L.T. Jane Doe pt.2

A few hours later Sam entered the forensic lab to find Jethro in front of her staring at something. "Hey Tony told me you were... Oh my."

"Is that good for you?" McGee asked from his place face up under Abby's desk. 

"Trust me, Mr. Goodwrench, I'm smiling." She was sitting in her chair above him in a rather... Interesting position. 

"I'm not." Gibbs said, interrupting them. Abby turned her attention towards them. 

"Hey Gibbs, Sam."

At that, Tim hit his head painfully hard against the underside of her workspace. He quickly climbed out from under the desk and scrambled to his feet. "Hey boss."

"Special agent Goodwrench?" 

Abby chuckled in the background. "McGee is rewiring my hotbox." She said, making Samantha's eyebrows raise instantly in a smirk. 

"that-that's a- uh, a bundle of receptors in the firewall. That regulates the flow of energy throughout the system. See, when-when stimulated correctly, it, a sends waves and waves of rhythmic pulses..."

"Yeah it does." Sam teased playfully causing Gibbs' head to tilt back and stare at the ceiling in frustration. The girls' eyes met and they shared a wink. 

"Waves that, uh... That-that-uh... hypercrank the, uh transfer speed of digitized infor- uh, Abby?" He trailed off, looking at the woman. 

She finally gave in and leaned forward, tilting the computer monitor so they could see the screen. "McGee is helping me speed up the search for Lieutenant Jane Doe's fingerprints in the AFIS database. I gotta ID her fast to keep the hounds at bay."

"I'm more Jack Russell Terrier." Gibbs said. 

"No not you, Gibbs. Ducky. He's barking at my heels like a dog with mange."

"He's still here?" Gibbs asked. 

"He's in autopsy. And he's so grouchy he'll give you a run for your money!" She called out as Gibbs followed by Sam, quickly headed back out the door. 

They stepped back into the elevator and Gibbs waited until the doors closed in front of them before asking. "Waves of rhythmic pulses?" 

She chuckled. "I mean, It's been a while but I'm pretty sure that's how it goes." 

"So women are like computers, maybe that's why I've been divorced three times." He smiled taking a sip of his coffee.

"That's why It always works to unplug and plug it back in again. And again. And again." She teased as the doors opened again, her gaze drawn away from him. 

He was still standing in the same spot, slightly frozen just staring at her. She chuckled. "This is your stop, Gunny. I'll see you back upstairs." She said nudging him gently with her shoulder. 

The soft touch seemed to wake him from his place. He headed back out the door without a word. 

***

"I'm sure he'll be back any min- See?" Samantha told Kate as Dinozzo walked back to his desk. 

"Sheesh! I've seen that look before." Tony said, dropping his bag behind his desk.

"You went to the men's room 45 minutes ago." Kate said. 

"You clocked me?" Tony asked glancing back at her. 

"What could take you so long?- Don't answer that!" She said suddenly, throwing her hand up between them.

"Actually Kate, I was-"

"I don't want to hear it!" She said, putting her hands over her ears and scrunching her face. 

"Children." Samantha warned as she continued typing on the keyboard. 

"Returning the buck eighty-five to the drive through."

"You returned the money?" Kate asked, making Samantha rolled her eyes from her seat behind Gibbs' computer. "That's what all this has been about?" She asked. 

"You know, that whole hands-over-the-ears thing doesn't work I used to do that when I was a kid I heard everything my parents said. They had some interesting words". He reminisced. 

"I can't believe you gave it back." Kate said, impressed. 

"Well... She was off-duty." Tony said, making his partner scoff, "So you didn't give it back?" 

"The pimply-faced mall rat at the drive through would have just pocketed it." He said, placing a coffee cup away from Sam at Gibbs' desk. 

"You brought the teacher coffee?" She asked. 

"Thinking ahead, L.C. After Kate tells Gibbs that we've got nothing, a cup of his favourite brew will tame the beast."

"After I tell Gibbs?" Kate asked. 

"Tell me what?" The man said as turned around the corner towards them. 

"Hey boss, I got you a little...hot, hot, hot, hot, hot!" Tony yelled as he picked up the coffee cup and immediately spilled it all over himself.

"Predictable." Samantha muttered under her breath. 

Kate couldn't help herself. "What are the odds of that happening twice in one day?" She asked, smiling. 

"The same as me firing the two of you if I don't get a report." He said nearing Sam and leaning towards her, "What do you got?"

"I'm still running similarities in crime files." She said, Gibbs nodded at her and quickly stepped away from the calming smell of her shampoo that lingered on her. He pointed at Kate, "Go.". 

"Um.. The victim's picture is on the Navy Intranet to departments of every in-station vessel and base unit. Nothing yet. " Kate said. 

"PSA?" Gibbs asked, looking at her. 

"No missing females, officers or enlisted." Tony said turning to Kate, "PSA is personnel support activity." He explained still trying to clean the spilt coffee off himself.

"I've been here a year, Tony. I know the acronyms." she said, impatiently. 

"Ah a year. Seems like only yesterday you were mixing up your NAV-SOC's with your NAV-SUP's. Gosh, our little girl's growing up fast, isn't she, boss?" Tony asked before being smacked on the back of the head. "Ow. What was that for?" 

"Not growing up. What else you got?"

"Nothing." Kate said, throwing her hands in the air. 

"Nothing." Gibbs repeated. 

"Hey guys." Abby said as she walked in with McGee. 

"But it looks like Abby does." Kate added, stepping out of the way. 

"Who is our victim?" Gibbs asked. 

"Um, I do not know."

"Then what are you doing here?" He asked. 

"Well, we're...we're, we're through boss." McGee said.

"We ran the entire AFIS databank, we didn't get a match."

"How could AFIS not find a match? She's a Navy Lieutenant." Gibbs asked. 

"No she isn't, Jethro." Everyone in the room turned to see Ducky standing at the front of the bullpen, his hat and jacket still on. "Lieutenant Jane Doe is a misnomer." He said walking towards them. 

"The poor woman was never in the Navy." He said, picking up a pen and handing Abby an evidence bag. "Match this sperm against the sample I removed from our victim. Please." He said as she took the bag and sighed the evidence form. 

Jethro stepped around her and took hold of the brim of Ducky's hat, forcing the man to look up at him. "You've been holding out on me, Doctor."  
"Yes, Agent Gibbs. I have. "

***


	27. L.T. Jane Doe pt.3

"So now we have a serial killer, rapist and sadist. Hell of a way to spent my day off." Samantha said taking a sip of her tea. 

"Don't forget the fact that he's dead." Tony said from his desk. 

"Chief Geitz' alibi checks out." Gibbs said, walking back into the bullpen. 

"Where was he?" Samantha asked. 

"With a friend."

"You're taking the word of a friend?" Kate asked, surprised. Samantha cringed slightly knowing what was about to happen.

Gibbs whipped around and hovered above the top of her desk. "No. Saliva swab. To compare his DNA with sperm taken from the victims. Any questions?" He asked, irritated. "Good. My turn. Where's McGee?"

"He took Harlan's hairbrush to Abby to compare his DNA to the sperm. Probie won't give up on the obvious."

"That Wilson was dead when the second murder occurred. Wasn't he, Dinozzo?"

"Very dead, boss. Big mother heart attack. Facts of the death certificate." He said holding up a copy of the document.

"How many bars and clubs did you canvas?" Gibbs asked, looking at a map graphic up on the screen. 

"uh... 24, 25.

"Which was it, 24 or 25?" Gibbs asked. Samantha watched the expression on his face carefully.

"You in a bad mood, boss?"

"No." 

"Didn't think so- covered every one within a mile of the Norfolk main gate. Like you said."

"What about the other gates?"

"Well, you didn't ask me to look at... I'm, I'm on that." He said under his boss' hard gaze.

"Kate, go with him."

"You want me to go bar-hopping with Tony?" She asked, too forcefully than she should have. And she knew it the moment it came out of her mouth. She immediately stood and attached her weapon to her belt. 

"You've never been to a bar, have you?"

"Not the kind sailors hang out at." She said, following him to the elevator. 

Jethro sighed heavily and exited out of the back of the bullpen without another glance towards her.

***

"See you at Abby's in the morning." He spoke into his cell before snapping it shut. 

"Tony have anything new?" Samantha asked as he headed towards her at his desk. He identified our second Jane Doe. Her name is Janice Santos. Her place is already crime scene clean. Grab your bag." He said, reaching around her to pick up his keys. 

"Starting fresh in the morning?" She asked his, packing up her things. 

"That's the idea." He said, "Just leave your car, we're coming back tomorrow anyway." 

"Sure." She said, tossing her keys into her bag before he grabbed it and tossed it over his own shoulder. "Such a gentleman." She smiled. 

Jethro tried hard to hide his own smile. "Yeah, yeah. Let's go. We're picking up dinner on the way."

***

Later they sat on the couch, the tv playing something mindless in the background as they passed around the few takeout boxes that sat on the coffee table. 

"What's going on in your head?" Samantha asked suddenly. 

"What?" Jethro asked, his mouth full of food. 

"Somethings bothering you." She chuckled, and handed him a napkin as sauce dribbled onto his chin. "Neanderthal."

"I wanna get this guy." Jethro shrugged and looked down, trying to deflect. 

"That's your default setting." She said taking a sip of her wine glass as he chugged from his beer. "This is something else." 

"Just let it go, Sam." He was most certainly not going to tell her that he'd been thinking of her extremely distracting sexual innuendoes in his spare time. Nope. 

"And when have you ever known me to do that?"

"Well I'm hoping right now." He said, willing away the rather explicit images that reappeared in his mind. 

"Okay." Samantha said leaning back and taking another sip. "But you know I'll get it out of you eventually."

"Yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night." He said, digging back into his food.

She studied him for a long moment while he resisted the urge to look back at her. "Did I do something..."

"No." He drawled out the vowel slowly and after a few moments it clicked. 

"Oh my god." She said as she sat up. 

He sighed, "Sam..."

She started to ramble, "That was totally unprofessional, I apologize If I made you uncomfortable, I-"

"Don't apologize, it's...just don't apologize." He said, unable to look at her just yet. 

"Jethro, I-"

"I said don't." He said, looking at her now. Any embarrassment was gone, and instead a rather conflicted look was in his eyes.

"It's just, you an I, we... we flirt all the time."

"I know."

"So I didn't make things weird?" 

He chuckled, "Sam, our definition of weird is very different than other people's. We're fine."

"So... do you want me to stop flirting?" She asked, carefully running her finger over the rim of her glass. 

He turned to her again, searching for something in her eyes. "No." he said calmly. That feeling warmed her instantly. She could feel a dull electric buzz under her skin as he stared at her. 

"Good." She said finally, taking another sip. 

"Good."

They sat there in a much more comfortable silence as they finished dinner. Samantha grabbed her empty container and sighed. "I'm going to bed then. Gotta be up bright and early for the boss man." She teased and leaned over to his ear. "Goodnight, Jethro." She whispered before placing a soft kiss on his cheek and walking up the stairs to her room. 

"Goodnight." Jethro replied when she was almost out of sight. 

When he heard her door close behind her he let out a heavy sigh and collapsed back into the couch. He ran his hands over his face and glanced up at the top of the stairs where she disappeared. "Crap." He whispered to himself. 

***


	28. L.T. Jane Doe pt.4

The next morning, the team was gathered in Abby's lab as she went over her findings. 

"DNA processing can take several days, but knowing the hyper-urgency of the case, I processed all of the sperm samples in just 37 hours." Abby said proudly.

"You deserve a raise." Samantha muttered. 

"From your lips to the Director's ears." She said, pointing at the ceiling with a smile. 

"Gonna be another 37 before we get some results?" Gibbs asked impatiently. 

"Okay." Abby said, turning back to her computer. "DNA off the first note matched the sperm. The killer wrote it. The second note? No prints. No DNA."

"What about the handwriting?" Samantha asked. 

"That could be a match. I sent a copy to an expert I met at a conference at the Greenbrier. It is such a sweet place. They have golf, tennis, falconry." 

"Falconry? I hunted with a falcon in Scotland in my youth!" Ducky said happily. 

"That's so cool." Abby smiled. 

"Yeah. It's a lost art, I'm afraid." Ducky added sadly. 

"Just like forensic reporting." Gibbs said, his patience wearing thin as Ducky just chuckled. 

"Okay, moving on to saliva, always a crowd pleaser." Abby said, changing the subject. "There is no way Gietz' DNA comes close to matching the sperm."

"I guess you were right boss." Tony said looking at the screen. The man whirled around and stared straight at the agent. "You guess?" 

"I know." Tony corrected himself.

"Abby why do you call us all in here when you have nothing?" Gibbs asked, irritated as he made a move for the door. 

"But I do!" She said, turning to her screen. "I matched the DNA off the hair from the brush McGee gave me. Hello Mr. Wilson? The DNA matches the sperm found in both victims." She said proudly. 

"That's impossible." Samantha said, filling in the words for him as Gibbs continued to look at Abby in confusion. 

"Wilson had been dead weeks when Janice Santos was raped." He said. 

"DNA does not lie." Abby said matter-of-factly. 

"Hey." Gibbs said, looking past her to Tony. 

"Hey. He died before she did, boss. I swear." 

"Boss, what if... What if Wilson's semen was inserted into Janice Santos after she was murdered?" McGee asked, much to Kate's disgust. 

"Okay, so how did the murderer get Wilson's semen?" Samantha asked. 

"The same way I did." Ducky said, picking up an empty flask from the desk and holding it up for the team to see.

***

"Looking at the time code, this is the day before the murder." McGee said, typing into his computer. The team watched as a woman moved into the screen and began snooping through the evidence lab. McGee's face turned to confusion. 

"What is it, Mcgee?" Gibbs asked, leaning closer to the screen. "She's the one." 

"Well how can you tell? She's not even near the refrigerator?" Tony asked. 

"His gut." Gibbs replied. 

"No, no, no, it's not just my gut, boss. When I was back at Norfolk, Cynthia- Petty Officer Cluxton and I, we were friendly." Tim explained. 

"Really?" Abby asked sarcastically.

"No, she liked me, but not that way." McGee tried to explain further. 

"What way would that be, probie?" Tony asked, flashing a grin at Abby. 

"I didn't ask, Tony. And she didn't tell." Tim said. 

"Clutxon's gay?" Tony asked. "Boss, we ID'd Janice Santos at a lesbian bar."

"There's more." Tom said, "Petty Officer Cluxton used her mother's name. Her father was an NCIS agent before he died."

"Special Agent Dawes." Gibbs said, putting the information together. 

"Boss I didn't think about this until... I think that's her." He said, nodding towards the screen.

"That's okay." Gibbs said, patting him on the back. "Run the tape."

They watched the screen as she moved towards the refrigerator and removed a vile from inside, her face caught clear on the camera. 

***

"Janice Santos was your lover." Gibbs said. Samantha, Tony, McGee and Kate all watched from the observation room as he sat interrogating the Petty Officer. 

"You met her at Flip Side." He continued. "A lesbian bar."

"Which Is why the bartender didn't respond to me." Tony stated handing them each a stick of gum. 

"Yeah, I'm sure that's why." Samantha rolled her eyes. 

"You accusing me of being gay, sir?" The Petty Officer asked him. "No. I'm accusing you of murder."

"Murder? I didn't murder anyone, sir."

"She jilt you, Petty Officer? " Gibbs asked, taunting her. 

"I have no idea what you're talking about, sir." 

"Yeah I'm sure you don't." McGee scoffed. 

Gibbs just sat there smiling at her rehearsed responses. "It doesn't matter. We have you on tape removing semen from a Jane Doe case your father worked ten years ago."

"Can you identify on that tape what I'm removing in the evidence locker, sir? I can't."

"You copied the killer's MO from your father's case file."

"I'm not sure where my father's case files are, sir."

"you strangled Janice Santos. Put her in a Navy uniform, carved a trident into her neck, inserted semen from the first murder into her vagina."

"Not true. None of it, sir." They watched as the woman's body language became tighter and more protective. 

"Even left a note." Gibbs continued. "Like the one found at the first crime scene."

"I didn't leave that note, I found it." She said, trying to defend herself. 

"So, who killed Janice Santos?"

"Obviously, whoever murdered the Jane Doe ten years ago, sir."

"No. Not whoever. His name is Harlan Wilson. A former machinist's mate stationed at Norfolk."

"You caught him, sir." A slight smile visible on her lips as she said it. 

"No, no, but we matched his DNA to semen found in both victims."

"Why are you accusing me?"

"Harlan Wilson died five weeks before you killed Janice." Gibbs said, handing her the death certificate. 

They watched as she took the sheet of paper. Her expression changing as her hands began to shake. "Damn. Damn. Damn!" She yelled and smacked one of her fists hard against the top of the steel table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone loves a comment.


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